These Kids
by Where's Waldorf
Summary: A celebration of all the characters and their dynamics on Gossip Girl through stories about their children. It begins with the story of Henry Bass and Catherine Humphrey. The second story is about Benton Archibald and Vivian Bass. More children to come soon. Partners include C/B, D/S, N/J, G/Ja, V/Ca, E/Jo
1. Chapter 1

**The Most Twisted of Us is nearly ready, but for now have a look at this story.**

**Also, please follow me on Twitter to receive updates and previews, and to give me suggestions for my stories. My username is redonesie.**

**This is a series of one-shots about potential relationships that could emerge from the offspring of our Upper East Siders. This first one celebrates Blerena mainly, but you can see elements of Dan in his child.**

**We'll talk more at the bottom, for now enjoy!**

* * *

**1**

**Dan and Serena's daughter ~ Chuck and Blair's son.**

She was 5 years old and he was 10 when it begun.

Catherine Humphrey (just Catherine, she hated when people gave her nicknames) was beginning kindergarten. She had mixed feelings. She was excited to make new friends, but she was also afraid that she wouldn't fit in with everybody.

However, her fears hadn't lasted very long, because once she had been placed on a table in the class, she had met Adriana Lifton.

Adriana seemed to already know that she was nervous, telling her not to worry, and that she would be her friend. So Catherine had given her a huge sunny smile and hugged her.

And they were instantly attached at the hip.

One day, when Catherine was waiting with Adriana in line to play hop-scotch, she swore she could feel eyes on her. She turned her head slightly to see Henry Bass watching her from his throne (the library stairs), surrounded by his 5th grade followers. She smiled at him, and he winked back at her, but still maintained his regal posture.

"Who is that?" Adriana asked when she noticed the exchange.

"He's Henry" Catherine explained.

"You know a _fifth grader_" Adriana said, her eyes bugging out of her head in awe.

Catherine just shrugged, not seeing the big deal. Henry was Henry. He always had been.

"I think he's calling you over" she whispered, and Catherine glanced over at him.

Henry was motioning to her with a casually elegant wave that only a son of Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf could perform.

Catherine slowly walked toward him, ducking and bobbing around the various balls and kids running around in her path. Once she reached him, he waved off his minions and they dispersed immediately, leaving the two of them alone.

"Hello" Catherine chirped with a grin, and he immediately relaxed from his intimidating countenance, smiling back at her.

"How's kindergarten treating you?" Henry asked intently.

"I love it. This week we learnt the 'oo' sound" Catherine said excitedly. She couldn't wait to be able to read, already trying to practice at home with her father's books. Her mother always said that she never met a word that she didn't like, like her daddy.

He chuckled, then rolled his eyes almost condescendingly at her.

Catherine narrowed her brown eyes at him. "Just you watch, I'll be finishing books before you in no time," she said smugly.

"We'll see about that Humphrey" he retorted, but couldn't help but smile a little at the blonde.

Catherine put her hands behind her back and rocked to and fro on her heels for a bit. She wondered why Henry had even called her over. Aside from the occasional wave, they rarely spoke at school, and he was never really at home when she and her mother visited, always having a party or hanging out with his friends.

As if he read her mind, he suddenly asked "Why are you hanging around with that Lifton girl?"

Catherine blinked. "She's my best friend!" She exclaimed, as though it was obvious.

He appeared to purse his lips and bite the inside of his cheek disapprovingly.

"She's nice!" Catherine continued, now getting annoyed.

"She's a _Lifton. _Her mother has lied and stolen from people. She's also my mother's fashion rival" Henry pointed out crossly.

"So what? She's not like that. Adriana is my best friend, and she's a good person" she cried.

"There is no such thing as a good person around here. There _is_ such a thing as caring about people, however, and as someone who cares, I'm warning you about her" Henry said firmly, looking her right in the eye.

Catherine swallowed, but stuck her chin up stubbornly. "Who I am friends with is none of _your_ business" she snapped, before storming away from him.

Who did Henry Bass think he was?

There was nothing wrong with seeing the good in people.

A few weeks later, a series of theft incidents had happened in her class. Somebody had been stealing crayons and pencils from the students in the class. Catherine had been practicing her handwriting when the teacher called her to the front of the room, and Adriana was standing with her.

Catherine briefly wondered excitedly if she was about get an award for reading and writing ahead of everyone else, before she saw the displeased look on the teacher's face and gulped.

"Catherine, is there anything you'd like to tell me?" the teacher asked sternly.

Catherine already felt tears stinging her eyes. She hadn't done anything wrong but the glare she was getting made her feel like she was going to get into trouble anyway.

"I-I don't think so" she said, her bottom lip trembling.

"You've been stealing your classmates items haven't you?" the teacher asked knowingly.

Catherine's brown eyes widened and she shook her head rapidly. She was so overwhelmed by her need to deny the accusation that she could barely speak.

"N-no" she stuttered.

"Please stop lying Catherine, I saw you" Adriana said, blinking her eyes in mock-sadness as a show for the teacher.

"Wha-at? No!" Catherine cried, not believing that her best friend was doing this. There must have been a mistake.

"We're going to have to see the principal to sort this out, come along girls" the teacher said, walking them out. Once they reached the corridor, they heard a door slam open from another classroom. They heard the 5th grade teacher yell. "Henry Bass! Get back here at once!"

Henry appeared in the hallway, looking around frantically until he spotted Catherine and strode over to them.

He noticed that Catherine was in tears and stopped for a moment in front of her. "Are you okay?"

She looked down at her feet, wiping her tears furiously as they kept falling against her will. Henry simply put a supportive hand on her shoulder before turning to speak to the teacher.

"I have found your thief" Henry proclaimed, as though he was in some detective movie. He held up his phone, and played a video. It was of Adriana alone in the classroom, snooping through the students desks and taking their crayons and pencils. The teacher looked from the phone to Adriana incredulously.

"How could you do this? _Why_ would you do this?" Catherine yelled, getting the jist of what had happened. She was not one to lose her temper, but when it came to school, it was personal for her.

"I-I..I had no choice" Adriana cried. "I didn't want to get in trouble, and I thought you would understand."

Catherine just shook her head angrily at her. When the clip ended, the teacher rubbed her temples Lily Bass-style and sighed.

"Henry Bass, you know that you aren't allowed to have a phone at school. However, thank you for the truth. Please escort Catherine back to class while I take Adriana to the principal" the teacher said, walking away with Adriana and taking his phone with her.

"My life is on that phone" Henry muttered half-jokingly to Catherine, turning to her when she didn't reply. She looked lost in a world of anger as she stared after Adriana and the teacher, clenching and unclenching her fists. Henry could tell she was partially angry at herself as well.

"Come on," he said, throwing his arm around her shoulders and leading her back to the classroom. "It was rookie mistake, don't worry about it."

Catherine cheered up a little at that, glad that he wasn't saying "I told you so" when he had every right to. When they were just outside of her classroom, it hit her that Henry had just completely saved her.

"Thank you" Catherine said softly, digging her shoe into the ground and feeling bashful all of a sudden.

She looked up to see him grinning at her. "Anytime, Cat" he replied, nudging his shoulder against hers as he walked off.

Catherine wasn't sure how long she stood there blushing and smiling from ear to ear. She didn't like nicknames, but Cat sounded okay coming from him.

Spectacular, even.

* * *

That had been the beginning of Catherine's crush on Henry.

And what a painful crush it was for her.

She was too shy to approach him at school. He was always surrounded by his older friends and seemed so intimidating. Catherine began to find herself sitting alone and just watching him secretively, sometimes even writing down things that she noticed about him once she knew how to write.

Until she entered the first grade and he left for middle school, that was.

Catherine then became desperate for excuses to go over his house with her mother, however she found that the majority of the time he wasn't home anyway.

And what would she even say to him? She would become tongue-tied in his presence, like on Thanksgiving.

"So what has the Cat been up to?" He had said as he helped himself to the turkey.

She had just blinked at him and felt her face heat up, so alarmed by the fact that he was speaking to her that she was speechless. He crinkled his eyebrows at her when she just stared, but then shook his head and smiled as though he didn't mind. She was saved by her mother asking Henry how school was going.

However, later that night as she sat in bed while her mother brushed her hair, she knew that her mother had intentionally jumped to her rescue at dinner because she had noticed Catherine's strange behavior.

"You know, if you like a boy, you should talk to them" she said with a smile.

Catherine had frozen for a moment, before somewhat recovering. "Wha-at? Boys are gross Mommy" she said with a nervous laugh.

"Whatever you say sweetie" Serena said with a laugh, then cuddled her daughter close and whispered to her. "You're a smart little 5 year old with so many clever thoughts. It would be cruel not to share them with people."

She pressed a kiss to her forehead and tucked her under the blankets. Just before she turned the light off at the door, her mother turned to look at her over her shoulder.

"Don't be afraid to go after what you want. Your Daddy wasn't" she said with a wink.

Catherine lay awake that night thinking about what her mother had said. Maybe she was right in a lot of ways, but she was also incredibly wrong. Henry was 5 years older than her. He thought she was a baby, and there would never be a way to pull him away from that knowledge long enough for him to grow to like her back.

For an almost-six year old, Catherine Humphrey had a bleak, wise-beyond-her-years outlook on the world.

After she had that moment of clarity, she withdrew herself from everything and everyone except her parents, not really caring if she had friends or not. The only thing she focused on was her writing and reading.

It was a confusing and lonely childhood for her, because sometimes she knew that there was this bright, friendly person inside of her that could make friends with anyone. But the last time she had a best friend, they had betrayed her. By the time she had reached middle school, she had become a bitter cynic with no friends and a torturous crush on the only person who might understand; Henry.

She had been typing away at her laptop one afternoon, cloaked in the darkness of her room, when her mother marched in and opened the curtains to brighten the room up.

"_Mom_" Catherine groaned, covering her eyes at the brightness.

"That's enough living like a hermit for one day. We're going shopping with Blair" Serena announced, hands on hips that were unfairly slender for a mother.

"I hate shopping" she complained.

"One does not simply _hate_ shopping" her mother said, placing a hand to her forehead in imitation of the Lord of the Rings character.

Catherine had to laugh despite her desire to cringe. Her mother had recently discovered memes, which she found embarrassingly out-dated.

Serena smiled back at her, and Catherine sighed, rolling her eyes and carrying herself to her closet to get ready to shop.

When Catherine got to the store, she got the shock of her life. As they approached Blair, she saw a now taller, adolescent and even more attractive Henry carrying bags of clothes that his mother had already bought, but unlike most teenage boys, he seemed to be pleased to be there. In an act of pure instinct, she hid behind a rack of dresses, leaving her mother to walk up to them without noticing her disappearance.

She heard her mother greet them.

"I thought you were bringing Catherine" Blair said.

"I am! She's right...here" Serena drifted off when she realized her daughter was missing. The three of them looked further back to see Catherine awkwardly failing to properly hide behind the clothes. She stepped out sheepishly and walked up them, wanting to die right then and there.

"Hello sweetie" Blair said with a smile, and Henry just smirked at her.

Catherine could barely look at them as she sulkily replied. "Hi."

"Shall we?" Henry said in his now deep voice to the women, marching forward so that they could move on to the next store. The mothers laughed and followed the charming boy, and Catherine just trailed behind them quietly.

On their way, Catherine's attention was caught by a bookstore. She naturally gravitated towards it, forgetting the others for a bit and entering the store.

She was flicking through a book when somebody whispered in her ear "hello kitten" causing her to drop the book in shock. Catherine whirled around and looked up to see Henry grinning at her. She looked at the ground instantly, her heart pounding in her chest. He picked up the book for her and looked at the cover.

"The Moonstone, by Wilkie Collins. You are _such_ a boy" he said loudly with a patronizing look.

She rolled her eyes at him instantly, because if there was one thing that nobody could intimidate her with, it was literature. She noticed the bookstore bag in his hand. "What are you reading then?"

He smirked and pulled it out.

"The Unbearable Lightness of Being? You are such a _girl_" Catherine retorted, but to her surprise he chuckled a little. She swallowed at the sound, looking anywhere but at him.

"Come on, they sent me to get you" Henry said, before leading her to the store. On the way, they broke out into a discussion about great literature. Well, it was more of a heated argument. It was the first time in so long that Catherine had felt comfortable to talk around someone other than her parents. She couldn't believe it was with _Henry,_ the one who in a lot of ways was the cause of her reservedness.

Once they got to the store, Henry sat in a chair talking to his mother while her mother bombarded her with dresses to try on. Catherine sighed and picked one of the ones that somewhat interested her and slumped into the change room.

It was a swishy looking royal blue dress that felt midway down her thighs and highlighted her long, skinny legs. Catherine hated how lanky her height made her look. Her mother's height made her look statuesque and beautiful, whereas Catherine felt awkward, like she hadn't grown into it at all.

"Come on Catherine, how long does it take?" Serena called out.

She opened the change room door and stepped out, scratching her elbow uncomfortably and staring at the ground before looking up at her mother. Serena had a huge grin on her face as she started at her daughter.

"Oh you look stunning, Catherine" Blair commented with a wistful smile, then turned to her son who was watching from his chair. "Doesn't she look stunning, sweetie?"

Henry had a lopsided smile on his face as he looked at her, before shrugging and turning away. Catherine practically bolted back into the dressing room after that, completely uncomfortable with the attention and disheartened by Henry's lack of a reaction. What she hadn't heard was Henry murmur back to his mother "she always does."

When Catherine had gotten home that day, it was the first time she realized that Henry could also be her friend, if she tried.

But he was never really around for her to do that. When she moved into middle school he was in high-school, and when she moved into high-school he had _really_ disappeared from her life to attend Yale.

Catherine Humphrey had her heart broken at age 14.

It was around the time that she had discovered that her father had been Gossip Girl, and her mother his muse. When she read about the kinds of things her mother had done, she felt many things. Firstly it was shock, then it was pressure to either become her or not become her. It was then that she had met the Baizen brothers, twins from the grade above hers. They showed her a world where you didn't have to care about anything, and she gladly embraced it. It was through them that Catherine Humphrey realized she a weakness for any brand of champagne, and found herself surrounded by drug-addicts instead of real friends.

However, by the time she was nearing the end of senior year, she had gotten over all of them. She was lost and confused yet again, because sometimes Catherine swore that there was this party girl inside of her that could jump out when provoked, but she had this know-it-all brain inside of her that told her she was above all that. It explained why she hadn't had sex, or even a boyfriend.

Perhaps a part of her was still holding on to some fantasy about a certain brunette.

Even so, Catherine was still a withdrawn person, and she could be a loner when she wanted to be.

It was prom night and Catherine wasn't going. She was going to curl up in bed with Thackeray. After all, Catherine had been named after his first main character because her father was such a huge fanatic.

Not that she blamed him. Thackeray was the only person who made her laugh sometimes.

She had read the first chapter when her mother called her downstairs. Thinking that it would just be her parents in the living room, she wandered downstairs in her huge jumper that she wore as a dress and her hair in a messed, haphazard bun.

"What is it mother?" Catherine said slightly impatiently as she wandered into the room.

But of course, when she reached their living room, Blair and Chuck were seated with them, accompanied by Henry who had been visiting for the weekend.

"Catherine" Blair said with an elegant smile. It was Henry's smile.

Chuck just smirked at Catherine, but his eyes were warm in greeting. She could swear that she hadn't ever seen that man look sad.

Then Henry spoke.

"Cat" he said with grin as he appraised her. He was 21 and beautiful. Still wearing his hair to a length just short of needing a hair cut, but now a fully grown man. Butterflies erupted in her stomach wildly.

Oh God.

She had a total Ginny Weasley moment where her eyes widened and she froze. Catherine was lucky that she didn't back out of the room like the red-head had.

She was saved by Blair who narrowed her eyes at her. "And what's this I hear about you not going to prom?"

"Blair," Serena said in a warning tone.

Catherine looked down at the ground for a moment and then shrugged. She didn't really expect anyone to understand.

"No one to go with" she muttered in explanation. It was more like there wasn't anyone that she _wanted_ to go with.

"Well, that's easily sorted. Henry here can take you. He doesn't leave to go back to New Haven until the morning" Blair ordered, still ever the Queen B.

Catherine's throat went dry and her hands felt clammy at the thought. A whole night with the object of her unending desire. The thought alone was too nerve-wracking for her.

"I-uh..don't have a dress" she quickly said, trying to make any excuse.

Blair knitted her eyebrows together. "I own a fashion company and your aunt is one of the designers. I'll have Dorota run to the atelier and pick up an original" she said firmly.

Catherine blinked. The woman was wretched.

"Excuse me" Catherine said in a small voice, leaving the room. Serena got up to follow her, but Dan stopped her.

"Let me," he said gently, and Serena nodded with a smile.

Catherine sat on her bed with her legs bent so her knees were tucked below her chin, her arms wrapped around her legs.

Her father appeared at the door, knocking on the frame lightly.

"I'm not going" Catherine said stubbornly.

He sighed and walked in to sit next to her on the bed.

"Catherine, you're as beautiful as mother. But you have my eyes, which means we always see things similarly" Dan said with a smile at his daughter.

"So you understand that I don't want to go?" Catherine asked quietly.

"No, for once I don't understand. Those parties were where the greatest moments of my life occurred, and they will happen to you too" he insisted, and she looked down. Her eyes burned a little and a lump grew in her throat, she wasn't sure why.

He tipped her chin up so she had no choice but to look at him.

"I like Henry. I trust him. So you're allowed to go to prom with him if you want" he said, as though she had just asked his permission. He grinned at her playfully, and she sighed and grinned helplessly back.

Dan walked back into the living room 5 minutes later.

"She's in. Your turn now" he said to the women.

Roughly an hour later, after primping and pulling and a delivery from the atelier, Catherine was ready. Her mother embarrassingly waited with the camera at the bottom of the stairs, along with the others. Henry was dressed in a classy black suit that had been brought for him, his thick hair slicked back as he waited at the foot of the stairs.

_Oh God, this is so clichéd,_ Catherine remembered thinking as she descended the stairs. She was in a long black glittering gown, and her blonde hair had been styled to the side in a fish plait. Her make up was minimal because she insisted on it, just a little mascara, blush in her cheeks and shimmer on her lips. She hated looking overdone.

She looked anywhere but at Henry when she walked down the stairs. She didn't how how she would react if she did. He probably thought she was the saddest thing ever, not having a date to prom.

"Oh Henry, doesn't she look stunning?" Blair whispered to her son.

"She always does" he whispered back, not taking his eyes off her as he smiled.

Catherine approached her father with a nervous look. "How do I look?"

Dan, for the first time in his life, was speechless. He looked like he was trying not to cry in an attempt to hold on to his masculinity.

"Oh my God, my daughter is a woman" he said in a tone of awe.

"Dad, you can just tell me I look nice instead of turning this into a sermon on the passage of time" Catherine said, rolling her eyes and grinning.

"You look like...your mother" Dan continued, still sounding incredulous.

Catherine smiled. "Thanks," she said quietly, and he kissed her on the forehead.

"Take a photo of us, Dan!" Serena exclaimed, shoving the camera in his hands and wrapping her arms around her daughter, beaming.

Dan grinned as he stared at his blondes together, smiling back at him for the photo. He felt his heart sink as he realized that soon he would be losing his little girl to college, and then eventually whoever she fell in love with. _No._

Henry cleared his throat, stepping forward. "You ready, Cat?" he said.

Catherine still couldn't look at him as she nodded, blushing furiously. Damn it, she was sick of being shy all the time. Why couldn't she just be like her mother? Judging from what she had read on the Gossip Girl site, her mother had been charismatic, charming every man she met.

_Tonight was going to be different_, Catherine thought. She was going to end this cycle of not being able to speak to Henry. Perhaps the only way to get past her crush on him was to face him dead on.

Her mother snapped a few pictures of them walking towards the elevator, and soon they were on their way in Henry's father's limo.

Catherine wrung her hands together in her lap nervously as they sat silently. She glanced up at him from beneath her eyelashes, and was surprised to find him looking at her intently. It caused her to look back down at her hands instantly.

"I'm sorry, this probably wasn't how you wanted to spend your visit home" she mumbled, feeling pathetic.

He just shrugged to show that he didn't mind. Catherine found herself nodding her head to cover her nerves. After she realized she had been doing that for nearly a whole minute, she froze and looked up at him. His lips were pressed together tightly as though he was trying not to laugh, but his eyes weren't making fun of her. Well they _were_, but she didn't feel patronized, not when they looked so warm. It was just...good-natured and relaxing for a moment. She breathed out from her nose, closing her eyes as she smiled and broke into a quiet laugh.

He chuckled deeply for a moment, then bit his lip and stared at her with that inquisitive look again.

_Oh wow,_ _he looks great doing that, _Catherine thought.

"What?" She asked playfully, feeling more comfortable now.

"_Nothing_" he said back, just as childishly. "It's just...I was wondering why you didn't want to go to prom in the first place?"

She blinked. "Like I said. No one to go with."

"Please, someone who looks like you can't have that excuse."

Catherine barely had time to die inside from his compliment, before she realized that they had arrived. After stepping out from the limo, he offered her his arm and she took it, hoping he didn't notice her hand trembling as it tucked itself into his warmth.

They entered the ballroom, and immediately people began to stare. Henry Bass had ruled this kingdom once before, and he was infamous. Catherine caught the looks of envy from the girls as they stared at her Waldorf original dress and the man on her arm, and she hated it. She didn't enjoy looking like the girl who got everything handed to her, even when she refused it. It was so far from the truth, and she worked hard for everything she wanted. Yes, Henry was her partner for prom, but it would never be more than that. This was just a stolen chance of sorts.

She swallowed, feeling uncomfortable again.

"Come on, let's dance" Henry whispered in her ear, causing goosebumps to appear along her skin.

He pulled her to the dance floor just as a slow song began.

_Oh my God_, _I don't know if I can do this_, Catherine thought as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She looked a spot over his shoulder as she placed her arms around his neck. _Breathe, just breathe._

His arms tightened around her waist, pulling her closer, and she nearly passed out. She felt him rubbing his thumbs on her back almost soothingly, and strangely it caused her to relax. She brazenly laid her head on his chest as they swayed.

Catherine couldn't believe she did that, but he didn't seem to mind. She wasn't sure how many songs they went through dancing like that, but soon the event was nearly over. They had arrived half way through, so her prom had been a short and simple one.

But her father had been right, it was one of the greatest moments of her life.

They didn't speak the whole night, but it didn't feel strange. Just comfortable and natural, and for the first time ever, Catherine allowed herself to wonder a little about Henry. A sliver of hope even rose within her.

He entwined their fingers as he walked her to the limo, and she leaned her head against his shoulder almost dreamily.

Neither of them commented on the fact that they continued to hold hands as they sat in the limo on the way home, just sitting in relaxed silence. Catherine felt so at peace that she drifted off to sleep.

The last thing that she remembered was a pair of strong arms placing her in her bed.

She could swear that she felt a light kiss on her forehead, and heard the words "Goodnight, Cat." But perhaps it had been a dream.

The next morning, Henry had returned to Yale.

And Catherine _would_ have been devastated, had she not been following him there for college in a few months.

* * *

Yale had a great writing program. Her father had wanted to go there at some point in his life but never got to.

She was going to go for him, but she was also going for herself. Catherine wanted to read and write for the rest of her life. It was her passion and her escape.

Catherine's parents had come with her to help her get settled in her room. She wanted to stay in the dorms and find her own way. Her mother had given her a spine-crushing hug before getting into the car.

Her father glanced around at the campus almost wistfully before looking at Catherine. "Enjoy" he said, hugging her even tighter than her mother and giving her a long, meaningful look that said everything he felt. She smiled softly back at him.

"Bye Daddy" she said, before hopping up the steps and entering the building.

As Dan watched her do this, a watery smile broke out across his face. It felt like yesterday that she had said the same thing before entering her kindergarten class.

His wife honked the horn, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Come on, you cry-baby!" Serena called out, followed by her 4-year old laugh.

Dan grinned at her, shaking his head and walking over to the car.

* * *

Catherine settled into Yale much more easily than school. People at college weren't trying to scheme against her, as much as that was hard to believe. It was a world away from the Upper East Side, and everyone here was like her. They wanted to learn, and to become great intellectuals.

She still hadn't seen Henry for the first month, which deeply upset her. Shouldn't he at least have checked up on her as a family friend? As someone who _cared_?

However, one day when she was sitting on a bench in the park area and reading, somebody whispered in her ear "hello, kitten."

Catherine dropped the book in her hand. She knew that voice from anywhere.

She whipped around to see Henry grinning down at her, dressed unusually laid-back, in a white button up top with rolled up sleeves, and trousers.

"Where have _you_ been?"

It came out before she could stop herself. _Not subtle at all,_ Catherine she thought, hitting herself on the head inwardly.

"Paris" he said simply, but with a gleam in his eye that showed Catherine just how much he loved the city. "I went on exchange."

She nodded, and then eyed the book in his hand.

When he saw where she was looking, he held the book up. "Fitzgerald. You're in my spot by the way" he said, walking around and sitting next to her. He crossed his leg over his knee elegantly.

"_Your_ spot?"

"Perfect balance of sunlight and shade. Picturesque view of campus. It's my reading spot" he said.

Catherine rolled her eyes. Control freak, much.

"I don't see your name on it" she said quietly with a smile.

He seemed to pause and stare at her for a moment. Henry looked right into her eyes, and she had to look away before she blushed.

"I suppose I could share it with you" he finally said, like the true power addict he was.

She giggled and shook her head, turning back to her book. Henry smiled at her, his look lingering before he opened his own book.

And that was how it began.

They would meet at that spot each day and read together between breaks. Sometimes they would discuss what they were reading, often arguing to the point where she wanted to throw her book at him. Other times they would sit in comfortable silence and read. Catherine couldn't remember a time when she had felt this happy...this _connected_ with someone who wasn't related to her.

Catherine and Henry continued this way for almost a month. She often wondered why he never seemed to hang out with anyone but her. At home, he had always been at the center of the social ring. But then again, Yale was so different to the city. Whatever it was, it didn't seem to affect him negatively. He almost looked...serene when they sat together.

She was also confused about how he felt towards her, especially after prom. Catherine worried that maybe she had built the magical night up in her head. He could very well only see her as a friend, or a companion. Her heart ached at that thought, but there was a desperate part of her that would cling to anything he would give her, even friendship.

_But did friends put their arms behind you on benches, sometimes even twirling their fingers in your hair?_ Catherine thought. He would sometimes even lean a little closer, and she wouldn't be able to focus on her book, dizzy from his aroma.

The worst part was that he seemed completely unaware of the effect he had on her. It took all she had in her not to gaze at him too long, and even then, she would steal glances at him. She couldn't help it, he was so...sexy, with his thickly lashed, dark eyes and pale complexion, and the most kissable looking lips you ever saw.

That was another thing. She still hadn't had sex with anybody, or even really kissed a boy. Catherine didn't care how that made her seem.

Sex, to her, was like art, and you don't rush art.

Was it so crazy that she wanted to know without a doubt that whoever she ended up with was different? That _they_ would be able to know that they were different, and meant something to her? She didn't think so.

The more she got to spend time with Henry, the more she knew that he wasn't some silly school-girl fantasy or crush anymore. They had a real bond that had always been there.

College was supposedly a time for experimentation, but she hadn't felt like doing anything with anyone...except him. When he would run his fingers through his dark locks, she would burn with jealousy, wanting to be the one to do it.

But he wouldn't ever show a huge, obvious sign that he felt the same way. It drove her insane.

One day, when they were in the middle of a debate about a film that they had both recently seen, a tall blonde guy with greenish-blue eyes interrupted them.

"Hi, I was just wondering if you guys wanted to come to this party our fraternity are hosting" he said with a pearly-white grin, handing them a flyer.

"Excuse me, were you raised in a barn? We were in the middle of a conversation" Henry snapped rudely, narrowing his eyes.

"Henry!" Catherine exclaimed in shock, and then tried to apologize to the boy.

The boy just smiled good-naturedly. "It's cool, hope to see you and your...boyfriend there?"

"He's not-"

"She's not-"

"We're not."

The boy smirked. "In that case, I'm Murphy. Hope to see you there...?" He said, waiting for her name.

"Catherine" she said with a small smile.

"Catherine," he murmured, then winked at her. "Later."

She turned back to see Henry glaring at Murphy's retreating figure.

"What's with you?" Catherine asked.

"Nothing, he was just annoying. What kind of name is Murphy anyway?" Henry muttered, rolling his eyes. She glanced down at the flier in her hand, and he noticed."You're not seriously considering going, are you?"

"Well, I don't really know anyone on campus. Maybe we should go?" Catherine said nervously, because to her it sounded a lot like she was asking him out.

He paused for a moment, then pursued his lips. "A frat party? It's so...pedestrian."

"It might be fun" she said, glancing at Murphy and his jock-looking friends. Murphy saw her and waved, and she gave an awkward little wave back.

When she looked back at Henry, he looked annoyed.

"I'll pass" he said dryly, before getting up and leaving her alone without another word.

Catherine felt confused and upset by his weird behavior. But if he was going to act like a spoiled brat, then she was going to let him.

* * *

The party was a mistake.

For starters she had somehow convinced herself to wear a gold, Serena-esque number that she in no way felt comfortable in. Second of all, she went alone and as a result knew no one there.

She had been about to leave when Murphy approached her.

"You came" he said with a warm smile.

"Yeah, but I'm actually just going to leave" she said, turning to go.

He grabbed her shoulder. "Wait, at least let me buy you a drink. I invited you after all" he insisted. Catherine stared at him a little, because there was no denying that he was good-looking, if you liked the pretty boy, jock type. He was no Henry, but he was still handsome and really nice.

What was the worst that could happen? She could use a drink anyway.

"Sure" she replied quietly.

He led her over to the bar and got her a tequila shot. It was not her signature glass of champagne, but it would do.

Not having drunk much since her early years of high-school, Catherine already felt light-headed.

"Dance with me" he said, pulling her along to the dance floor, and she just went with it.

Murphy spun her around and around until she began to feel dizzy.

"Stop" she mumbled, when she nearly tripped.

"Sorry, sorry" he said, chuckling tipsily. He then tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and leaned in. Catherine moved back, realizing what he was trying to do, but he would just push forward. He followed her as she started to walk backwards in an attempt to escape, until she collided with a hard chest. She looked behind her to see Henry, his jaw set in a firm lock as he looked down at her.

"Get your coat, we're leaving" he said quietly.

When she just blinked at him, he grabbed her hand and pulled her along to the coat check table.

He crossed his arms impatiently as he waited for her, and then practically yanked her along with him until they reached his dorm room. She was in a tipsy, confused daze until that moment.

She ripped her arm from his.

"What do you think you're doing?" Catherine cried incredulously.

"I _think_ I'm saving your ass from that wasted Neanderthal" Henry retorted.

"What? We were just dancing, you drama queen. Why does that even matter to you?" she exclaimed, waving her hands up in the air in emphasis.

"Because, you're _mine_!"

And he gave her a bruising kiss, gripping her shoulders in frustration. Henry didn't stop for a whole minute, and once she got over the shock of her life, she melted into their passionate lip-lock, tangling her fingers in his hair tightly.

Her heart raced.

There was no time to think.

He pulled her into his room as they ran their hands over each others bodies, kissing hungrily.

_Oh God, _she remembered thinking.

Clothes were ripped off in a desperate need for skin to skin contact.

She shivered as he licked and bit her like his favorite macaroon.

_This was real._

They were naked and tumbling onto the bed. She gasped loudly when he entered her.

_This was really, real_.

He made love to her wildly, over and over again like a never-ending hurricane.

No words were spoken, until the pleasure became too much for her and she would sigh, "Oh Henry."

He would chuckle adoringly, covering her mouth with his and holding her closer.

* * *

It was a whole new world after that.

Catherine felt like a real woman. Henry had introduced her to her sexuality, and she discovered everything that was erotic to her.

And she was desperately and madly in love, and she knew he was too from the look in his eyes and the way he touched her so tenderly, during and after he had made her feel all those wonderful things underneath the sheets.

They stayed together for months, making love every day and spending every moment they could together like they couldn't bear to be apart. None of their parents knew what was going on between them, like it was their own exciting secret in a world far away from them. She was in pure bliss, and life was in technicolor. It was scary how dramatically things had changed, but for once she didn't feel like reflecting on it. There was no need to sit and ponder how she had gone from being tortuously in love to happily.

Oh, it was all so amazing. Even the way they opened up to each other, usually after making love.

"Sometimes, I feel incredibly disconnected, really uncomfortable in my own skin. Like I was born at the wrong time and I belong in another era" Henry had once mumbled lazily as they lay naked on their sides facing each other, the sheet only covering their bottom halves and leaving their torso's exposed. Their legs were entwined as they pressed their bodies up against each other, hands roaming affectionately.

"I don't feel like I belong _anywhere_" Catherine whispered back.

He held her hands up to his lips and kissed them.

"You belong with me."

* * *

One day, when she was nearing the end of her first year, they were sitting up in her bed. She had been leaning her head against his shoulder and listening to him read out one of her love poems about him. At first she had been mortified when he had found them, but she eased when he had shown her just how much he had appreciated them when he took her on her desk, the floor, and eventually her bed.

His voice was deep and rumbling as he recited her own words, turning her on something fierce. Catherine began to press seductive kisses along the side of his head, when she felt him pull away. She hadn't even realized that he had stopped talking.

"What's wrong?" Catherine asked.

"Nothing" he said shortly, getting up from the bed.

"Henry" she said in a small voice. He turned back to look at her and seemed to soften immediately.

"It's just...my whole life I've known that I want to be a lawyer. It's been my dream ever since I knew that two of my grandfathers were lawyers" Henry explained.

Catherine smiled. "And? You've already been accepted by one of the best law firms in New York for next year. What's the problem?"

"I didn't plan you" he said with a tender smile, sitting back down on the bed with her and entwining their fingers. "I'll miss you too much."

Her heart fluttered. "We can call and write. I can visit, you can visit."

Henry looked to ponder it for a moment, before sighing. She felt cold fear stab at her heart at the look in his eyes.

_No._

"You're breaking up with me" she squeaked, and his eyes jumped up in panic at her words.

"Catherine, I-" he tried to say.

"Why? Do you not...feel the same way anymore?" she asked shakily, feeling herself hyperventilate.

"It's not that, don't even _dare_ think that! It's just...I don't know how to be what I want to be and figure _us_ out at the same time. Think about it, do _you_ know yourself outside of _me_?" He said brokenly, cupping her cheek as his eyes pleading with her to see the truth.

"That's mighty presumptuous of you, Henry" she said coldly, but inside she was already starting to understand and it was breaking her heart. Henry used his mind, and so did she. It was partially why she fell in love with him.

He was right. The majority of her struggles and her great experiences and hangups had been all about him. Was that all she was? Did she not have the potential for more? She loved Henry, but she hated that thought.

How long would their love even last if she didn't know or trust in herself? It was the only real shot they had.

As though Henry knew that she had almost come to terms with it in her inner struggle, he gave her a watery smile. "Please don't fall in love with anyone else" he whispered, not even half-jokingly as he embraced her tightly, possessively.

"How could I?" Catherine said back, her voice cracking. She kissed her shoulder lovingly and clung to him.

They stayed in that position for a long time. Eventually, he got dressed in his clothes slowly, pressing a long, bittersweet kiss to her lips before leaving the room completely.

As soon as the door shut behind him, she fell apart.

She fell apart for more than a few months. Catherine was withdrawn for a while, lonely again. She stayed away from the city for the next year, afraid that she would run into him. She didn't know where that would lead her.

But eventually she found herself. Her inspiration had come when she found out from the news that Henry had won his first case, and she threw herself into her writing. She completed internships, and met all these prominent literary figures who led her into the world of writing. Catherine went on dates, but they never progressed into much. She barely remembered even kissing any of them.

One weekend, her parents were visiting her. She sat in between them on a bench, _their_ bench.

"So you got that wonderful shot with The Times, I've never been so proud" her father said, wrapping his arm around her and giving it a squeeze.

Catherine nodded with a small smile. Her career had been bouncing off, with editors demanding to have her write for them after she had won a series of newspaper competitions. At some point Catherine had gotten started on that thing called a future and stopped procrastinating over a broken heart. Her college degree was ending in just over a year, but she didn't feel anxious or afraid.

This world at Yale had been amazing, and it had taught her so many things that would arm her against things she could face in any city. Knowledge had been the main weapon of choice, and logic would act as a guide. Experience had helped her gain these powers.

"I was hoping that you might consider coming back to the city. You know that Nate has the Spectator as a day-to-day job for you" her mother said, her eyes hopeful. She had missed her little girl so much, wanting to be able to brush her hair for her again.

Catherine bit her lip in thought. She _did_ miss her parents, but there was that other nagging thing on her conscience.

"I need a job that I worked hard to get, not one that was handed to me. It's just not...right" she said, but clutched her mothers arm to show her sincerity.

Serena nodded sadly, understanding why she felt that way. Had she herself not been reminded of that fact every day of her life?

It was Dan that spoke up however.

"Catherine, hear us out for a moment. You _are_ a success. I mean, you have all these things now that you slaved yourself over to achieve. Nate doesn't just take anyone, it's a serious business and he's _dying_ to have you. I mean, _three_ articles in Vanity Fair before the age of 21? Editors practically kissing your feet in their need to have you write for them? You beat your old man by far" he said with a chuckle, but it was a good-natured talk. The pride was all in his eyes.

Serena smiled at her husband, then held her daughters hand. "There's nothing wrong with embracing who you are. It's something that I learnt when I wasn't that much older than you."

Catherine took her parents words in and nodded. They made a lot of sense, and they filled her with a pride that she hadn't really felt so strongly before. Perhaps Catherine was learning to love herself a little, or at least understand who she was.

But there was still Henry to think about. Catherine would no doubt have to see him again. Would he _want_ to see her right when his career had also just been taking off? When she read all about the cases he was winning, she had teared up with happiness for him. It was strange how Catherine had always felt inferior to him because of her age, but now they had become..._equals_. The numbers didn't matter anymore because they were both adults now, both people with a future.

As they were walking back to the car, Serena clung onto her daughters arm and slowed her down a bit so they could talk privately. Dan walked ahead of them.

"There's someone, isn't there?" Serena said knowingly.

Catherine blinked. "How do you know?"

"I'm a mother, we know these things" Serena said with a smile. "Do I know him?"

Catherine hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Please don't guess names, and I'll tell you what you need to know" she said quickly before her mother's excited look could stretch too far.

"_Fine__" _Serena said, rolling her eyes but smiling anyway. They had never really talked boys, aside from that time when Catherine was six.

"I...fell in love" Catherine said slowly at first, then spitting the rest out really quickly.

Her mother's eyebrows raised expressively. Botox still hadn't happened. "How much in love?"

"Like Dan Humphrey and Serena Van der Woodsen in love" she mumbled.

Serena grinned wildly. "Not Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf in love?"

Catherine chuckled a little. "Maybe, for him. Have you ever felt that unbreakable, mythological tie with another human?"

Her mother stared at her pensively for a moment, but she didn't look to be thinking about whether or not she had. It was whether or not she wanted to divulge it. "Yes I have, and not just with your father. Blair has been my companion for longer than anyone else in my life" she finally admitted.

Catherine nodded. "Did you ever feel as though they might of...let you go?"

Serena, sighed and looking away from her daughter, into the distance. "Yes I did, more than once. And it broke me more than anyone could understand. But they always came back to me, and even if they hadn't, I eventually became strong enough to be able to be alone too. It's funny how loss stops happening to you once you find that strength."

That had been hard for Serena to say, but it may have been her most important moment as a mother, showing Catherine that she could be vulnerable, and weak. And it was probably the best thing that Catherine had ever learnt, and she didn't learn it from Yale.

When she waved her parents goodbye that afternoon, she knew she was ready for home. Catherine had always been ready, because she still called the Upper East Side her home, she just had never realized it.

* * *

When Catherine graduated and returned home, there was a dinner party waiting for her in true Upper East side fashion.

Everyone was there, from her Grandpa Rufus to her Uncle Eric. This was her family, and she was sorry that she had been hiding away from them for so long. Catherine missed them.

She missed Nate, who to this day was still the object of every girl in her high-school class's desires.

She missed her cool and rebellious Aunt Jenny, who inspired her in so many ways.

She missed her funny Grandpa Rufus and how they were the only ones in the family with the same taste in music.

She missed her doting Grandma Lily, and how she would never really change and didn't seem to care about it.

She missed her uniquely sane Uncle Eric being that light at the end of the Upper East side tunnel.

Catherine realized how much she had missed Chuck and Blair too. They could both be intimidating, and borderline sexually inappropriate for old people and not very discreet about it. But they were fiercely loyal, not just to each other but to this entire family that they all shared. They also looked like a pair from another era, and that had always made them fascinating to her.

Another era.

Staring at his parents had made Catherine looked around to see if Henry was there, finding him absent. She tried not to let her heart sink too heavily as she sat down between her parents.

About half way through the entrees Henry stumbled in.

She hoped her fork didn't clatter too obviously against her plate.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry. The meeting ran late and my client just doesn't know what he's doing with his life. Honestly, businessmen these days are what's keeping me in a job" Henry said breathlessly, rolling his eyes and sitting down.

In between his parents.

In the seat across from hers.

It looked like an arranged marriage scene from some movie.

"_Hey_" Nate, Blair and Chuck chorused in response to Henry's jab about businessmen.

Henry just threw his hands up in the air and reached for his fork. It was then that he looked up and locked eyes with her. It was subtle, but his eyes widened fractionally. She, on the other hand, swallowed and stared at him unblinkingly, not being one to easily mask her emotions. He looked...good. Better than good. Henry Bass looked possibly more deliciously dark and handsome than the last time they had seen each other. He looked so legitimate in his suit for work and his slicked back hair. But his large, expressive eyes held an aura of sadness in them. Her heart jumped. Maybe he had really missed her?

"Cat" he said hoarsely, but only she seemed to notice it.

"Henry" she replied quietly, before looking back down at her plate and shoveling food into her mouth to keep from talking.

However when she looked back up, she caught her Uncle Eric staring at the both of them in wonder.

Somehow, he had just figured it out. Her eyes connected with his and begged him not to comment. His blue eyes softened in understanding and he smiled to let her know it was okay. He could keep a secret.

They managed to all get through the rest of the meal in peace.

They all laughed when Grandpa Rufus told stories about Dan and Jenny in their youth.

"Remember that time when Dan had his first guy friend, other than Cedric of course" Jenny said giggling, and the rest of the table snorted in laughter.

Dan just stabbed at his food and rolled his eyes, but he eased off and chuckled when Serena caught his eye and smiled at him.

"Who was his first guy friend?" Nate asked.

"You, sweetie" Jenny said.

Everyone at the table chorused in a mocking "aw" at them and laughed again.

Catherine had been spooning chocolate mousse into her mouth and enjoying it thoroughly when she felt a familiar gaze on her. Henry's dark eyes were hungrily following her mouth's movements along the spoon. She stared at him as she licked the corner of her mouth, secretly enjoying teasing him a little, but doing a great job of playing dumb.

Or so she thought.

Catherine felt a cool leather rub up against the inside of her leg slowly, and she knew it was him. She bit her lip as her eyes widened in warning. He just flickered his eyebrows up flirtatiously, a little playful smile on his lips.

Suddenly he stopped and jumped up. "If you'll excuse me, I need to make a quick phone call."

"Henry, we said no leaving dinner for phone calls" Blair complained.

"Well, I'm not leaving dinner, mother. I'm leaving dessert" Henry said before sauntering out of the room and leaving everyone to chuckle at him.

"I don't know where he gets it" Blair said incredulously, and her husband smirked at her knowingly. His wife still never got nearly enough credit for her wit.

Catherine barely registered any of this however, sitting there in a daze for a minute before excusing herself to the bathroom.

She didn't go to the bathroom however, she went straight to her room. Her safe little island for whenever everything else felt too much.

However, when she entered the room, an arm grabbed her from the side and shut the door behind her. Henry slammed her against the door, kissing her hungrily. The door rattled loudly behind them as he rocked his body into hers. She moaned in delight instantly.

God, he kissed even more divinely than she remembered.

Catherine just managed to hear footsteps approaching the door, lost in a world of pleasure. She quickly locked it, but it didn't stop her mother from calling out.

"Catherine, are you okay?" she asked.

Henry held her hands up between their chests as they looked into each others eyes, grinning as they tried not to laugh, like two naughty children about to get caught.

"I'm fine mother, just changing out of these painful heels" Catherine replied.

"Need any help choosing a new pair?" Serena asked.

Henry cupped her bottom and began to suckle her neck, pressing his hardness into her soft body, causing a moan to rise up in her throat. "Oh...um no thanks Mom, I've got it" she replied in a breathy voice.

Catherine waited until she heard her mothers footsteps become faint before she clutched at Henry. She knew he could get fairly loud when they were together.

"What if they hear?" she asked as he lifted up her skirt.

He caught her eyes and she shivered at the black look of lust in them. "I don't care" he whispered wildly with a smirk.

And so he took her against the door, and Catherine tried to muffle her moans as best as she could by biting his neck. It was a poor effort on her part, and no effort on his.

They wandered back downstairs a few moments later, after fixing up their clothes and removing the signs of their mind-blowing encounter.

However, there seemed to be little point.

When they entered the room it was deadly quiet, and Catherine's eyes locked on her mother first to see if she had noticed anything.

Oh she had definitely noticed, and she looked like the cat who ate the canary, but had supportive grip on her husband's arm.

It was then that she looked at her father, who looked torn between wanting to murder Henry and wanting to throw up.

She gulped.

Catherine glanced at Blair, and tried not to laugh. Her doe eyes were wide and glazed over as she seemed to be in a state of shock. It was probably the moment when she _really_ realized that her baby wasn't exactly, well, a _baby_. Catherine looked at Chuck who, despite rubbing his wife's back soothingly, had a little smirk of pride on his face.

That was the thing that caused Catherine to shudder in embarrassment.

"If you could give us a moment of privacy" Chuck announced to the others in the room. They all quickly made excuses, leaving Henry and Catherine alone with their parents.

It was silent for a long moment, and Catherine found herself looking up to the sky and asking why in her head. She was bordering on hyperventilating, when she felt Henry slip his hand into hers and entwine their fingers. His thumbs rubbed across her hands, soothing her.

"Why don't you tell us how long this has been going on?" Chuck asked gently, the only one who didn't seem to be about to judge.

Catherine opened and closed her mouth. What could she say? Since she was 5 years old?

"I've loved Henry since I was 5 years old" she admitted boldly. Well, apparently she _could_ say that. It swelled up in her, and she was sick of shying away all the time. Instead of totally ruining her, it felt wonderful and exhilarating to admit it. There was the romantic in her, the one that had been dying to break free without her brain weighing her down her whole life. But her brain wasn't even protesting this time, it told her she was right, especially when Henry squeezed her hand and pulled her closer to him. He kissed her on the top of her head lovingly.

"Catherine is the love of my life" Henry said, nuzzling his face into her hair.

_Oh wow_.

She knew that he loved her, but it didn't make it any less wonderful when he said it out loud.

Catherine didn't know why or how, but her father's countenance seemed to soften when he heard them say that, and Blair seemed to finally wake up from her catatonic state and smile at them. Like love had made everything simple.

"_This_ is the guy you were telling me about?" Serena asked, practically beaming. She glanced over at her best friend who looked up at her and grinned. It was perfect, it was so perfect.

Catherine nodded, leaning into Henry.

"You're happy then?" Dan asked his daughter. "He makes you happy?"

"Yes Daddy, so happy" she replied with all the sincerity in her heart. Her father nodded in acceptance, smiling at his daughter.

Blair and Serena ripped Catherine away after that to grill her for all the details, like the two women had never grown up from the teenage girls they were in high school.

Catherine didn't know what would happen next, but when she looked over at Henry who was talking to his father, she knew it would be okay.

She swore she heard him murmur something about a ring.

Spectacular, even.

* * *

**Well there you have it! ****I don't want to sound conceited, but I feel like this is the best thing I've ever written when you compare it to my other stories. **A few things to explain:

**1. I named Derena's daughter Catherine after Thackeray's first story. (You know Dan would do something like that). I also think it's cute because Henry in a way got to have a Cat (ties in with Blair's Audrey obsession) and I got to use the "kitten" line (Chuck would be proud of his son).**

**2. Poppy Lifton. Hated her so I made her a mother who didn't know the father. So that's why Adriana's last name was Lifton.**

**I might try Nenny and Chair's children next, but I'll take suggestions too.**

**I love long, detailed reviews. Hint, hint.**


	2. Chapter 2

**PLEASE READ FIRST**

**There are some things you should know before you read this story.**

**Firstly, it is not necessarily connected to the previous one. If you want to believe that Catherine exists in this one, then by all means you can. If you want to believe that Vivian and Benton were in the previous story, you can. It's up to the reader.**

**Secondly, this is very different, mature and a little darker than the previous story. Just warning you from now.**

**Thirdly, this story celebrates the Chate friendship, and Chuck, Nate and Jenny as characters. Chair really does come through with the pair too.**

**Fourthly, lets assume that Ian Somerhalder is still young and hot, and TVD is still well known and watched in the future.**

**Fifthly, some of the dialogue in this story is remixed from the novel Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta. It's a great book, and I definitely think you should read it if you enjoy this story.**

******Lastly, I know, I suck. I got swamped by university, so I haven't been updating my stories. But I have a break now. I want to sit and write good chapters for you loyal readers. You deserve them. So bear with me :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**2**

******Chuck and Blair's daughter ~ Nate and Jenny's son.**

Vivian Bass and Benton Archibald had definitely _not_ been best friends since birth.

In fact, even their birth had been a competition.

Jenny had been lounging with Blair in her home office, discussing their new line when she felt her water break.

Blair was in the middle of a tirade about everything under the sun when she caught Jenny's wide eyed look. She knew what it was straight away.

"Oh no you don't, J. You don't get to get out of this so easily," Blair growled, and her own water promptly broke.

Ben and Vivian had already begun contending to see the world first.

Once, when they were four, they had been at the atelier with their mothers. Ben loved to draw, and was happily scribbling away while Vivian crossed her arms and sat in boredom. After a moment, he looked up and stared at the little girl, remembering what his mother had said on the way there.

_"Try to be nice to Vivian today," Jenny told her son._

_"Mommy, I'm always nice. Vivian is just a meanie," Ben grumbled, sticking his bottom lip out._

_"Maybe she just needs a friend to show her how to be nice," Jenny said, stroking his soft blonde hair._

_Ben shook his head in disagreement, but promised to try anyway at his mother's look._

"Do you wanna draw?" Ben asked hesitantly.

She narrowed her eyes at him silently.

"Well, I tried," Ben thought, trying not to roll his eyes too obviously before returning to his drawing.

Vivian now stared at the little boy for a bit, and smirked inwardly.

"Wanna play a game?" She asked him.

He looked up and stared at her suspiciously. "What kind of game?"

"The kind where we pretend to be the designers, and we make an outfit," Vivian said slowly, enticingly.

"Why?" Ben asked, thinking that it was a little too girly for his taste.

"Because our mothers will find it charming," she replied simply.

Ben did love to charm.

"Okay, how do we do it?" He said, bouncing a little in agreement.

"Easy, here is the fabric we can use," Vivian suggested, opening up a drawer to take out the expensive pieces of fabric. She had observed her mother carefully many times when she was working and picked up on what could and couldn't be touched.

And these pieces of fabric definitely weren't meant to be touched.

"Cool, what now?" Ben asked excitedly. This sounded kind of fun, and maybe Vivian wasn't so bad after all.

"Now you use these to cut stuff out," Vivian explained, then pulled out a pair of scissors and held them up in front of him.

Ben stared at the sharp blades and gulped.

"I'm not supposed to play with scissors," Ben muttered, not taking his eyes off the shiny silver utensil.

Vivian rolled her eyes.

"Do you always do what Mommy tells you to do? Or are you just a scaredy cat?" She teased mockingly.

"No! I'm not!" Ben blurted defensively, but still seemed hesitant.

"Come on, I dare you," Vivian whispered with a grin.

Something about the way her hazel eyes lit up cheekily made him think that it might be fun to try.

_Really_ fun, actually.

So he took the scissors and picked up a piece of fabric. Vivian watched in anticipatory delight. The blade had just closed over one corner when they heard a shriek.

Ben jumped, causing him to skin one of the fingers holding up the fabric. He instantly began to howl in pain as his finger throbbed and bled.

"Ben!" Jenny cried, and rushed forward to help her son.

Blair, who had been the one who shrieked, dove to pick up the fabric and save it from any harm. She sighed in relief when it remained unscathed, almost missing the brief smirk on her daughter's face.

"What possessed you to do this?" Jenny asked after she had bandaged his finger and kissed it better several times.

"Vivian said-," Ben began to explain before Vivian interrupted.

"I _tried_ to tell him no, but he wouldn't listen," she said quickly, blinking her long eyelashes up at the two women.

"That's a lovely theory Vivian, and I would believe you if you had inherited my doe-eyed stare and not your father's smirk," Blair said sternly to her daughter, hiding a grin. Those swatches of fabric were the most important thing to the company right now, and no other designer in the world had access to them. Blair wanted to be furious with her daughter, she really did. But she couldn't, not when she was staring down at a carbon copy of her husband. Blair was defenceless before those caramel eyes.

"You know better than to play with scissors, Ben," Jenny said, raising her eyebrows at her son, whose mouth gaped open in outrage.

Vivian glared at Ben, and Ben glared back at her. She had made him look dumb, and he had made her look bad. It had gone from dislike to pure hatred of each other in an instant.

It was war.

Their abhorrence for each other only grew once they began school, and the fact that they had to share a birthday didn't seem to help matters. It was always a battle over who could throw the more enticing party.

Eventually they began to form their own places in the school. Ben always tried to be kind to everyone, and lots of people wanted to hang out with him as a result. Vivian on the other hand, had more enemies than friends and was the class bully. She scared people into following her. They were two very different kinds of leaders, but leaders no less.

Vivian seemed to enjoy making people fear her, and every time she terrorized a student, Ben took it upon himself to save the day and stop her, labelling him as the hero of their class. He would be the one standing up to her every time and telling her to back off. They ended up fighting instead, taking the attention off the victim in question. Sometimes it even got physical, with hair getting pulled and arms getting bitten.

There was a bitter rivalry between the two that seemed to always be present, whether it was between their opposing teams in the basketball game at lunch time, or with who could charm the doting Serena into loving them more.

However, when they entered the sixth grade, something changed in Vivian considerably. She had almost...weakened in her attacks on him and other classmates. They were half-hearted and she seemed uninterested by it all.

Ben had always been keeping an eye on her as an enemy, and deep down someone he respected more than his friends. It was through his secretive observation of her that he had realized she wasn't like any of the girls in their class.

Vivian dressed in flamboyant, (usually purple) outfits and hung out against brick walls, alone. Ben swore he even saw her smoking one time. But the thing that struck him most was that Vivian Bass looked sad.

All the time.

If anyone paid close enough attention, her hazel eyes were vulnerable looking. The average passer-by read her as a terrifying, messed up human being. But Ben just knew that something was tormenting her.

She looked so lonely and troubled underneath all that intimidation, and he didn't know what it was, but he was drawn to it. Something in him just wanted to help, because in a lot of ways, he felt lonely too. None of his friends felt real, or trustworthy, or even interesting. They seemed to just want to soak up whatever hanging around with him could offer, and not really offer anything themselves.

She had been fiddling with a lighter in her usual spot when he finally approached her.

"You're in my space," Vivian said quietly, without looking up.

"I know. I mean, hi. I'm Ben," he stammered.

Vivian glanced at him with a smirk. "Benton, I've known you since I was born."

He hit himself inwardly.

"I know," he said again. "Um, I was wondering if you maybe...wanted to come over after school. We could hang out...watch movies and stuff."

He rambled. He effing rambled like the biggest moron in the world.

But for some reason, she didn't laugh at him. On any other occasion of their friendship she would have, but at this moment, she looked surprised.

And intrigued.

"You want to hang out with me?" She asked, narrowing her eyes disbelievingly.

"Sure," he said with a winning Archibald smile. Vivian stared at him with intensity that most 11 year olds shouldn't be allowed to have, and he forced himself to not look away.

"It couldn't hurt," she said.

* * *

It was the way their friendship worked. He would push and pull and she slowly and reluctantly gave in until they just fell into a comfortable companionship.

However, she would _insist_ on trying to maintain her superiority, smugly calling him by his full name, Benton, when most people called him Ben. They still had their differences, but at the end of the 7th grade, Vivian introduced him to pot, and what a beautiful bonding moment that was. They usually smoked it in a hidden place in the park, by the pond, because their parents would kill them if they ever found out. Getting high was one of their main activities, aside from sleeping over each other's houses, and playing basketball.

Vivian was one of a kind, and they were very close. But it was like having a brother, not a sister. She didn't ever touch him, nor do hugging, or anything mushy. One time, he had secretly tried to draw her against her usual backdrop of the brick wall. When she noticed, she set fire to his whole book of drawings with her lighter and quietly told him to never do something so pussy-like again. He learnt his lesson. She was one of the guys, if Ben had any guys to hang out with anymore.

They unknowingly guarded each other's secrets with their lives. But the secrets they told each other weren't exactly deep. Vivian never let them get too emotional, telling him to ease off and smoke up whenever he strayed. It was more a case of them hanging out with each other for so long that they knew each other's strengths and weaknesses, what made the other tick and what drove them nuts, but they never told anybody about them. There also seemed to be a silent understanding between them that they wouldn't let any untrustworthy outsiders in on their friendship. It was just going to be them, and as a result they were inseparable.

"So, now that the war has ended, when are you two going to get married?" Henry had once joked at a dinner party between their families, thinking that he was an evil genius who could get a rise out of them. But they just stared at him blankly, and the grin quickly dropped from his face as he returned to his food. They looked at each other and smirked. He was too easy.

Rumours surrounded their relationship at school, but what people didn't understand was that there was no sexual tension between the two of them.

There had only been one time where the topic of sex had come up between them. They were lying on her bed in her room, listening to The Kills when they heard moaning from the room next to hers.

Her parents' room.

Ben and Vivian stared at each other with wide, grossed out eyes. They would flinch at the louder cries and shudder at the groans. Once the sounds stopped, they sat in awkward silence.

"Why was your mother crying?" Ben asked after a long moment, the details of sex still murky to him.

"She's happy," Vivian said quietly, staring up at her ceiling. Ben had turned onto his side and studied her thoughtfully, but she didn't seem to notice. She had an almost sad, faraway look in her eyes as though she was in another moment. He wondered if her parents knew the reason for it, but her relationship with them had always confused him.

Occasionally, he would come over to find her at the piano with her father, playing a duet. They would have identical smirks of amusement on their faces as they watched her mother dance with her brother (who sometimes came home from Yale for the weekend). They looked like a sweet, old fashioned family. They just worked, and looked so natural with each other.

Other times, Ben would witness a tension that just didn't exist at the Archibald home. All true friends had, at some point, experienced the awkward moment of walking into a fight between their best friend and their parents. Walking into a Bass parent-daughter argument however, was a whole other story.

Once, Ben had come by to pick up Vivian on the way to school. When he entered their living room, he found Vivian sitting on the couch in front of her parents, crossing her arms and refusing to look at them.

"Your teacher called again expressing concern that you're cheating, Vivian. I don't understand why you do these things," Blair had complained. Chuck rubbed his wife's chin between his fingers as if to say "let me handle this."

"Look Viv, if you're smart enough to find a way to cheat the system, then you're smart enough to get it right on your own," Chuck said softly, smirking at his daughter as though he knew that he had gotten through.

That only seemed to anger her further. She stood up, her hazel eyes black with coldness as she smirked cruelly.

"You're right, I was thinking too small. Perhaps I'll take a page out of your book and murder someone next time," she said evenly, then walked out the door. Ben looked back to see Blair rubbing her temples and Chuck staring at the spot where his daughter had been sitting with a glazed over, distant look in his eyes.

When he had gotten home that night, he couldn't get the word "murder" out of his mind. He had been pushing the food around on his plate, and his mother noticed.

"Ben, sweetie, why don't you leave the poor potatoes alone and tell me what's bothering you?" Jenny said with a grin.

He chuckled a little at his mother, before shaking his head and placing his fork down. "It's nothing."

"Ben," his father said in playful warning from behind the newspaper in his hand. His Dad called reading other papers, "checking out the competition."

He sighed. "Did Mr and Mrs Bass ever...kill someone?"

Nate dropped the paper in his hand. Jenny's eyes widened as she turned to look at her husband.

"What have you heard?" his father asked quietly.

"_Nothing,_" Benton said. He felt like was going to sell his best friend out by talking any further. But he was just so damned curious.

"If there is something you know, then you should tell me," Nate said, and Ben looked up at his father. He saw his own eyes looking back at him, but just like his mother, Ben couldn't keep a secret from them.

"Just...I heard her say something about them murdering someone, and they got all weird-like," he mumbled. Sometimes he felt like he really had no back bone. His Dad had just easily persuaded him with a look, it wasn't fair. How the respected mayor of New York and powerful media titan had fathered him, he would never know. It was a lot to live up to, and he wasn't even sure if he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. I mean, he was the only son they had. It was expected of him, wasn't it?

At that thought, he could use a joint.

"Ben, you know that Chuck and Blair aren't bad people...well they aren't bad people to us, or their family," Jenny said gently, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"I know!" Ben said quickly. "That's why I'm so confused."

"Look, the important thing to know is that nobody has ever _really_ understood them. Not even me, and I've known them my whole life. But whatever they do, it's to protect each other and their family...and even us," Nate explained with a firm look in his eyes that made Ben believe every word.

Anyway, he wasn't scared or deterred by it really. He was honestly just interested.

The next day he had picked Vivian up for school again, only to find her discussing the stock market with her father at the breakfast table like all was well again. Her father seemed to be grinning in disbelief and pride as his little doppelganger spoke. Blair kissed her on the top of her head as she yelled at an assistant on the phone, simultaneously placing a bowl of strawberries between the two to share.

It was that simple. Things at the Bass household could go from lethal to loving in 24 hours. Ben was bewildered, but like his parents he accepted it and even had to grin a little at it.

* * *

Ben and Vivian had gotten almost three great years of friendship before everything changed. Just before middle-school ended, something happened.

It was literally overnight.

They had been sitting next to each other in her kitchen and doing their homework (well, Ben was doing it), and he had leaned across her to reach for a pen when he felt it.

An unfamiliar bulge nudging against his forearm.

He glanced down and saw fully rounded breasts straining against her paisley shirt.

Gulp.

As she stood up to walk to the fridge to steal an éclair, he got a fully view of her body and was struck by its dramatic changes. Ben didn't know how it had happened, but all he knew was that yesterday, Vivian had been straight and flat, but today her chest and her hips had filled out to make her look voluptuous and womanly.

Ben always knew she was a girl, but now she really was...a _girl._

He watched her bite into the éclair, and her tongue crept out to lick the custard off her upper lip. His mouth went dry.

"Mm, these are amazing," she sighed, and the sound made something twitch in his pants. "Do you want one?"

Benton just stared in silence.

"Archibald?" she asked, narrowing her eyes in confusion. His eyes looked glazed over, and she was quite certain that he hadn't smoked anything yet today.

"I've got to go," he choked out, shooting up out of his chair and stumbling out of there, leaving Vivian to smirk after him and shake her head, bewildered.

Ben stayed in his room the whole afternoon and night, refusing to talk to anybody or come outside for dinner. He just lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling of his room, feeling hot because his best friend and former rival was...hot.

So hot.

It wasn't fair. Why was the universe doing this to him? It was going to ruin everything...or make it better. He didn't know.

Exhausted from the thoughts coursing through his mind, he fell asleep, only to dream about a brunette with hazel eyes. She had been standing near a doorway to a bedroom, and she had simply smirked and winked before walking into the room. He woke up after that and found his pants and his bed sheets ruined.

_Oh my God_.

When he went to meet her at school the next morning, he found her talking to a pair of tall, jock-looking twins by her locker. She had a smirk on her face as she seemed to be murmuring to them, playing with her scarf tauntingly. They were hanging on to her every word.

An unfamiliar anger rushed through him. He didn't know what it was, but seeing her with them sparked something in him. He squashed it down immediately.

_You're probably just feeling protective over your friend._

When she saw him approaching them she said, "Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me," before sauntering up to him. The boys behind her stared after her, rubbing their faces. It wasn't just lustful admiration in their eyes, but genuine confusion. They looked stupefied, as though she had made them question their life choices, ambitions and a great deal of their masculinity.

Vivian Bass was clearly not your everyday flirt.

It was like seeing the world in color for the first time. She was beautiful. The long chocolate colored waves, hazel eyes that went from light to dark depending on her mood, and perfectly curled lips were now accompanied by curves, making her look like an exotic goddess.

"Benton," she said, interrupting his thoughts. "Where did you disappear to yesterday?"

"I was just...helping my Mom with something," he mumbled. It was hard to look at her in the eye after his dream and its aftermath.

She just raised an eyebrow in response. That sounded like a lie.

"How do you know the twins?" Ben asked, trying to change the subject.

She shrugged with a nonchalant grin. "The twins found me."

From then on, he would constantly find her surrounded by guys. It was like all the boys in their class had stopped being afraid of her and had caught on to her sex appeal. Anybody could be attractive on the Upper East Side, but Vivian Bass had an unparalleled charisma that could pull in anybody.

It was weird at first, because for the past few years it had just been him and Vivian. The sleepovers had stopped, and he would make excuses every time. He couldn't risk waking up in bed next to her and embarrassing himself. But either way, he didn't seem to be losing his best friend. In fact, as soon as she would spot him, she would always detach herself from her latest conquest as though they didn't exist.

"Any interest in some fresh air?" she would say, and mime smoking with a little grin. He would smirk back at her and they would be on their way.

Ben knew that his lust for her couldn't last long. It was probably just his hormones kicking in, and the fact that he never really hung out with any other girls.

But there was a clear cut reason for that.

People thought that he was gay.

While Ben had shot up in height, and his voice had deepened, he hadn't gotten any less pretty-looking, and being friend-zoned by the only girl he ever spoke to just didn't seem to be working in his favour with other girls.

On one of the last couple of days of summer before high-school began, and Ben and Vivian were having lunch at their usual cafe when a man walked up to them and slipped him a napkin.

It was his phone number.

Ben groaned. "This is the 10th time this week."

Vivian smirked at him. "Teach me your tricks, girlfriend," she drawled and patted him on the head condescendingly.

There it was again. He was so sick of it. Vivian thought he was a sweet, innocent lamb, and she was the superior rebel. The whole world probably saw them that way. It was embarrassing, and it wasn't giving him any luck with the ladies. The only way he would be able to win respect was if he showed everyone that he could play just as hard as Vivian. And he knew that he could.

"I've had enough. I'm changing my look," Ben said with finality.

They went shopping after that to purchase a whole new wardrobe for him. But no matter what he tried on, he still looked pretty. When he finally pulled his hair in aggravation, Vivian chuckled.

"Look, Archibald. Your mother is a fashion designer. She'll know what to do," she said, waving a hand in the air as she spoke.

"I knew we were best friends for a reason," Ben said to her, though slightly annoyed at himself for not coming to that conclusion first.

That night, he expressed his concern to his mother.

"I'm sick of everyone looking at me and thinking I'm some angelic little beauty. I'm sick of picking up guys instead of girls," he complained.

Jenny stared at her son and smiled. She knew that feeling. Well, the angelic little beauty part, not the problem with picking up guys.

"You know, when I was around your age, I wanted to stand out and show people that she could be a bad-ass if she wanted to, not innocent Little J from Brooklyn," Jenny said as she put away his freshly cleaned clothes in his closet.

Ben grinned back at his mother. "So you get it then?"

"I do," she murmured. "But with an image like that, you risk becoming a person who hurts and betrays people. I just want you to-,"

"Be careful, I know," Ben interrupted, rolling his eyes. His mother always told him that, like she didn't trust him to make his own decisions.

"Benton," Jenny said warningly, and he gave her an apologetic look instantly. It was just in his nature.

"I'm sorry. Look, I just want people to see me as someone with guts, cause' I know that I've got them. Is that weird?" Ben said softly, his dark blue eyes open and sincere.

Jenny stared at her son. There was definitely a girl behind this.

"No, of course not," she replied gently. Jenny didn't think it was a coincidence that she had captured Nate's interest during her first fashion rebellion and huge image change. Her husband loved her fire, and she had learnt to use it at the right times...she wasn't talking about her career in particular.

"I know just what to do," Jenny said.

* * *

A couple of days later, Ben was waiting outside of Vivian's house so they could go to school together. Hands in the pockets of his purposefully disheveled school uniform, he was leaning against her limo flaunting his new look.

Vivian sauntered out of her door to meet Ben who was waiting for her. However, once she spotted him, her steps fell out of rhythm as she stared at him. Her usual smirk fell, and was replaced by a look of wonder.

Ben looked...amazing. She had always thought he was the most perfect looking guy she had ever seen, not that he needed to know that, but now he looked _devastating,_ she thought with an inward sigh.

He had his bangs trimmed jaggedly, making them messily fall across his navy blue eyes which had been lined with eyeliner on the inside. It made him smoulder without even trying, and he looked darker. When he seemed to smirk at her knowingly, she just managed to conceal a blush.

_Easy, Bass. You don't do blushing. Especially around Benton Archibald._

She walked up to him in a daze, her eyes wide and smile lop-sided.

"Like what you see, Bass?" Ben said smugly, but looked around as though he didn't care whether or not she did.

And she felt a twitch in her stomach.

"Oh definitely," she replied huskily. It was like her mouth had a mind of its own. Usually when she flirted, she controlled everything she said so that just the perfect amount of information was given away. But this was...a natural, honest response.

He opened the door of the car for her to enter. Vivian was careful not to touch her body against his as she got in, but she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up at his closeness. She could smell his expensive scent, and it made her insides shake.

_What is happening to me?_

While they were driving, she seemed to be unable to take her eyes off him, even though her expression remained blank. He had thrown her off by the change, he knew it.

One point to Ben.

When they got to school, Vivian was eyed up by her usual flock of men. They floated to her naturally, and she seemed to have gotten her game back instantly.

Damn, she was good.

But when he was at his locker, he felt someone tap on his shoulder, and he turned around to face them.

It was Felicity Whitner, the captain of the cheer leading team, accompanied by her team of cheerleaders. He gave them a once-over, confirming that yes, they were attractive.

"Can I help you, ladies?" Ben asked with a little smirk.

"Has anyone ever told you that you look _just_ like Ian Somerhalder?" one of them asked, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously.

Ben chuckled in amusement, and that seemed to endear them further.

Felicity, the obvious leader and brazen one, leaned forward. "You can bite my neck anytime," she murmured, running her hand on his chest.

Someone cleared their throat from nearby.

"Ladies, we _need _to work on your flirting skills," Vivian said with a smirk, arms crossed over her chest as she casually leaned sideways against the nearby locker.

They all gave her a filthy look and walked away in their little clique, but not before Felicity winked at him again.

Ben shook his head, staring after them with a little grin, and he noticed Vivian watching him as he did so. It was so brief, but he swore he caught a flash of annoyance in her eyes before she returned to her arrogant look.

"Are we still hitting the park after school?" He asked, and she looked confused for a second.

"Yeah, I have my one hitter," she said with a cheeky flicker of her eyebrows, recovering immediately.

"Sweet," he said with a chuckle.

* * *

A few weeks later, Vivian was watching Ben play his first lacrosse game.

She rolled her eyes at how the masses seemed to get so fired up at such a stupid sport.

Weirdly enough, every time Ben got knocked by a Neanderthal, her heart would stutter in a panic.

Afterwards, they were leaning against her limo and studying the students that walked past them at the park. Ben and Vivian had seemed to grab people's attention all the time without even trying, but when they stood next to each other, it was a whole other story. To an onlooker, they appeared a darkly beautiful duo that looked powerful even if you didn't know who their parents were.

"Benton, I have a proposition for you," Vivian said, not moving her eyes away from the students.

"I'm listening," he replied with a lazy grin as the cheer-leading squad waved at him when they walked past.

"How would you feel about...taking down Ryan Thompson?" she murmured.

Ryan Thompson was the king of their schools. Every guy worshiped him, and both Constance and St Jude's functioned around serving him. It was because of his position as captain of several sports teams, his wealth, and his relationship with the ultimate It-girl, a 10th grade girl named Samantha Montgomery. It had been quite a feat for him to have tied the red-headed model down to him.

"Why would I want to do that?" Ben asked.

"You're kidding yourself if you don't think you were born to rule here. Your father is the mayor, your mother was queen," Vivian said confidently. Ben considered her words. He never really looked at himself that way, but when Vivian pointed it out to him...well, it made sense.

"What would you suggest?" Ben asked curiously.

"Not much, you already have immense wealth and high social-standing. It won't be long before you join a team, preferably not basketball because we don't want you to embarrass yourself," she said matter-of-factly, and he rolled his eyes at her.

"You beat me once," he interrupted.

"And we haven't played since then, now why is that?" Vivian teased with a grin.

"Shut-up, Bass," Ben scowled, and she chuckled at him before continuing.

"It's simple, really. Steal the girlfriend," Vivian said casually.

Ben looked at her doubtfully. The girlfriend? She was stunning, of course, but he wasn't sure if she was his type.

"Come on, it's easy. You just conveniently place yourself around her, and appeal to her vanity. Then you draw out the weaknesses of their relationship and totally destroy it," Vivian said with a wicked look.

"I don't know, Viv. That seems...harsh and really evil," Ben said, scratching his neck as he contemplated it. He had to admit, though, it was brilliant. But was the prize worth it?

"Please, I saw that look in your eye the day I showed you those scissors when we were four. Danger excites you, and so does the idea of power," Vivian drawled with a knowing smirk. It was one of the things that fascinated her most about him. The way he seemed like the respectful, good-natured mayor's son on the outside, but on the inside he had a dark curiosity that only she ever saw.

Ben kept his face emotionless, but inside he was reeling with shock. How did she know him so well? She used the perfect words to grab his attention. He secretly thrilled in taking risks, a closeted dare-devil.

And of course it was worth it. The school was_ their _birth right, and they were going to take it back.

He smirked back at her silently.

* * *

Later on, they went to his house to begin scheming. They sat at the kitchen table, hovering over a laptop and pretending to be doing an assignment. His uncle Dan, who had been visiting, entered the kitchen.

"Hey guys," Dan said as he filled up a glass of water.

"Hey," Ben said with a smile, and Vivian nodded to him in greeting before they both turned back to the screen quickly.

"Need help with anything?" Dan asked, studying them curiously.

"No, we're good," Ben replied easily. He felt Vivian's laughing eyes on him, and he struggled to keep his grin in check.

After standing there and staring at them thoughtfully for another moment, Dan seemed to shake his head and walk out of the kitchen.

"God, he's so lame," Vivian said with a chuckle.

"_Hey_, he's actually awesome. He managed to tie down Serena Van der Woodsen who is a total milf. Maybe he could give us tips," Ben argued.

Vivian scoffed. "No, thank you. Besides, we don't need to tie this S down, we just need to distract her with a new boy toy while he gets distracted by a new girl toy."

"And the girl toy being...?" Ben asked.

Vivian smirked.

"Ah, of course," Ben said, shaking his head and feeling irritated. Did Vivian have to try and seduce _everyone?_

"We show everyone that we can take apart the golden couple, and they believe we can take apart anyone. Ultimate respect," she murmured with a glint in her eye.

"You really do have a gift," Ben said with a look of awe.

Vivian stared at him for a moment, feeling almost..._pleased_ before quickly looking back at the screen.

"So do you want to be queen as well? Have power over everyone?" Ben asked, realizing that she hadn't really talked about herself. Her mother had practically created the monarchy in her days of being queen.

"I already have power over everyone. I'm Vivian Bass," she replied matter-of-factly.

* * *

When they were finished, he walked her to the elevator.

"The plan starts tomorrow Archibald, you'd better be ready," Vivian said challengingly as she stepped into the elevator.

"I'll always be ready for you, Bass," Ben said evenly, not realizing how suggestive it sounded until it was too late.

Ben thought he saw her eyes widen before the doors closed, but he couldn't be sure.

He wandered into the living room and plopped down next to his Uncle Dan on the couch.

"What's up, man?" Dan said, putting down the book that he had been reading.

"Not much," Ben replied good-naturedly. "Where's my Mom?"

"She's upstairs on the phone with Blair. Apparently there's a huge problem with the buyers again," Dan explained casually.

Ben nodded, and they sat in comfortable silence for a few moments. His uncle Dan was like an older brother to him, and to Dan, Ben had been the younger brother he never had. They joked around a lot, and got along more than most people.

Dan cleared his throat, breaking the quiet suddenly. "Hey Ben, there's something I wanted ask you actually."

"Sure," Ben replied, looking at his uncle expectantly.

"You and Vivian are...just friends, right?" Dan asked slowly.

"Course," Ben said quickly. He was used to this question from everyone, but Dan had never asked before. It was curious. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Dan said, shaking his head and picking up his book to end the conversation.

"Okay, you're not fooling anyone with that diversion tactic. Just tell me why you asked," Ben said with a laugh.

Dan stared at him and smiled in bewilderment. "You're too much like your mother."

"And nothing like my father. Thanks for the reminder," Ben said bitterly, rolling his eyes.

"You saying there's a problem with being like your mother? She's the coolest person I know...and the most annoying. Now I see the problem," Dan said with a grin.

"Hey!" Ben punched him in the arm jokingly, but Dan seemed to wince.

"And that's where your dad's genes come in," he said, rubbing the spot where he got hit.

"Wuss! Now tell me why you asked or I'll do it again," Ben said with a chuckle, holding up his fist menacingly.

Dan threw his hands up in the air in surrender. "Okay, okay. Look, are you sure _she _knows that you guys are just friends?"

Ben laughed. "What the hell? Leave your imagination for the next best seller, dude."

Dan grinned, but sobered up quickly and rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "She was staring at you like... you were her world or something just then," he muttered incoherently, but Ben heard it loud and clear.

He didn't even laugh that time.

"Are you high? She was _not_," he replied, rolling his eyes. Ben had no idea what his uncle was blabbering about, but he couldn't help the feeling of excitement that rose in his stomach at the thought.

"Trust me, I've observed the Bass-Waldorf signs of attraction more than any other person, and that girl sees something in you Ben. Maybe she doesn't even know it herself," Dan said raising his eyebrows and nodding.

Ben just shook his head in disbelief at his uncle.

"Better be careful, Basses are predatory and possessive when it comes to the object of their desires," Dan murmured, nudging his nephew playfully. Ben shoved him off and poked his tongue out at him.

Dan went back to his book after that, but Ben sat silently with a small smile on his face, because deep down, he wouldn't mind seeing little bit of that "predatory and possessive" behaviour...which wasn't going to happen because Dan was completely off base. All he ever got from Vivian were patronizing smirks, and innuendos (which weren't even directed towards him). They were best friends, and he had a feeling that was all that they would ever be. It was for their own good.

He shook himself and got up from the couch to start his homework, now about 3 hours behind on it thanks to the bizarre afternoon.

* * *

Winning Samantha over had been surprisingly easy. He simply walked up to her and started talking to her, and she had been easygoing and friendly. They both enjoyed art class, and they would sometimes study together, which after several months made her boyfriend feel apprehensive and suspicious.

That was when Vivian striked.

It started off with her staring at Ryan from across the courtyard like a hunter cornering her prey. Then it progressed into her whispering things to him as she walked past him, especially when he was caught jealously looking at Ben and Samantha laughing at each other.

There was a reason the plan was going so smoothly.

You see, Vivian didn't feel anything towards her current victim, or any of the men who were drawn to her. However, something that did irk her was the way Ben and Samantha seemed to get on easily. Vivian did not like that one bit, if she was honest with herself. She wasn't sure why, but she wasn't prepared to analyse the sick feeling that bubbled up in her every time he flashed his disarming smile at that red-headed dim wit. That smile was reserved for _her. _So she did the only thing knew how to do.

Play the game.

She upped her flirting with Ryan, and had him wrapped around her finger in no time.

Ben, on the other hand, watched this and felt his own frustration grow. Here he was, getting all this attention from Samantha when for some reason, he just...wanted Vivian to look jealous. Ben knew they were trying to seduce the pair away from each other, but did Vivian have to be so good at it? Where were those looks that Dan had mentioned? Why was he caring either way?

Once Samantha took notice of how her boyfriend's eyes were wandering, she began to feel self-doubting, unsure, and vulnerable. Now was Ben's time to build her up, and steal her away. She soon confessed to him her own troubles from the beginning of the relationship, and how she wasn't sure that Ryan had seen her as a real person but rather a possession that he needed for his own power.

By the time they finished ninth grade, Vivian and Ben had managed to successfully break up the ultimate couple of their school. The argument had been public, and chaotic. There were tears, and tragedy.

Vivian watched their mess from afar with a smirk. Ben, on the other hand, couldn't ignore the remorse he felt when he saw how hurt Samantha looked by it all. She was only an innocent victim, and he thought she was a sweet girl. It just didn't seem right to let her go downhill after getting her heart broken. He decided he would try to take the throne in the nicest way he could, and to still be there for Samantha.

Apparently, this worked well for him, because soon older guys invited him to their parties. People started shifting towards him as though they could sense the impending change in leadership at the school. The power was coming to him naturally, and while part of him felt uneasy about it, other parts knew exactly how to use it. It was only a question of whether or not he wanted to. Ben knew that people were just waiting for him to ask Samantha out and stick his flag into the ground, conquering the land.

He and Samantha still hung out and studied together. Ben could see the attraction in her eyes at times, and she was really open and pleasant. Being a model, she was obviously gorgeous, and it was a nice change from hanging around the complicated girl that always hid from anything meaningful. Vivian wouldn't even acknowledge that they were best friends at times. Samantha felt..._easy_.

One day, he was running with his father. It was one of the main things that they enjoyed doing together. They raced to the finishing point, with Ben beating his father. He bent over, breathing heavily, and then glanced up at his dad.

"Well done, I'm officially old," Nate said with a grin, slapping his son on the back.

Ben chuckled, and they began to walk in order to cool off.

"So how's school been?" Nate asked.

"Pretty good. I got voted team captain for lacrosse," Ben replied.

His father raised his eyebrows and smiled, looking impressed. Ben couldn't help but beam inwardly.

"I noticed that Samantha Montgomery has been over at ours quite a bit," Nate noted.

Ben nodded slowly.

"Anything going on between you two?" Nate asked.

"Not yet," Ben said honestly, and his father laughed.

"Well, I definitely approve. I know her father pretty well and he seems like a respectable guy," Nate said as they reached their building.

Ben was taken aback. His father approved?

"I'm actually hoping he'll gun for me in the next election," Nate said, oblivious to what that sounded like to his son.

That was the thing that convinced Ben to ask Samantha out. There wasn't much that Ben wouldn't do for his family, or to please them. The world was telling him to date her, and maybe they were right.

When he finally asked her to dinner in 10th grade, he expected to feel triumphant, and accomplished when she said yes. But he felt nothing when he looked at her pearly white grin, and for some reason thought of a smirking mouth instead.

Their first date had been going smoothly. They had been making polite, small talk at the perfectly selected restaurant. Everything was unsettlingly ideal, and Ben couldn't help but drift off into his own thoughts at times, wondering what Vivian would say when she found out.

Apparently he didn't have to wonder long, because Vivian and her parents had just entered the restaurant.

Vivian didn't spot them until she took her seat, and when she did, her stomach plummeted.

_What were they doing? This wasn't part of the plan._

Her face felt hot, and the room began to spin. There was an odd pain in her chest at the sight before her. She didn't know what was happening, but all she knew was that she had to get out of there fast.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" Blair asked, noticing that something was wrong.

Vivian turned to look at her mother and blinked.

"Excuse me, I just lost my appetite," she said numbly, and stood up to walk away from the table without another word.

Ben watched all this, and saw how affected she looked. It worried and thrilled him all at the same time. He found himself excusing himself to the bathroom to chase after her.

Vivian splashed water on her face, and dried it off with a hand towel. She then stared into the mirror at her face. Vivian didn't recognise her eyes. They had never crinkled that way before. Vivian glanced down at her hands, which were gripping the edges of the sink so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. She immediately released them with a gasp, and the sudden intake of breath caused her lips to tremble, and her chest quivering with approaching, uncontrollable sobs.

Tears welled in her eyes and she glanced up, blinking to hold them back. After a few moments she managed to calm herself, but when she looked in the mirror she still had a sad smile on her face.

When Vivian finally emerged from the bathroom, she had schooled her look back into a vacant one. It was too hard to achieve her usual haughty smirk at this point in time, so for now this had to do.

"Vivian," Ben said, surprising her from next to the bathroom door.

"Benton," she replied emotionlessly.

"You okay?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowing together as he tried to work her out.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Vivian said as casually as she could. If Benton hadn't seen the look on her face before, he would have believed it. But he knew better than to press further with Vivian, so he just shook his head at her and turned to walk away.

"So, is this you relieving your conscience? Taking her out on a pity date?" She said, and he turned around to stare at her.

"No, it's not like that," Ben responded, raising his chin up indignantly. Maybe it had started off that way, but it wasn't anymore. Vivian scanned his face, trying to read him, to find any explanation that would soothe her. A lump appeared in her throat when she couldn't, and she glanced at the ground for a moment.

"So it's nothing to do with trying to impress your father? You uh...really have feelings for her?" she almost whispered, finally looking back up at him. She couldn't speak any louder without it sounding choked.

"I do," Ben lied. The fact that she had read him so effortlessly alarmed him. How did she do that?

"I'll see you at school," she said hoarsely, and walked away to rejoin her parents.

* * *

Vivian had realized that she had feelings for her best friend the hard way.

She was heartbroken.

Her throat felt like cardboard, and liking Ben felt like the most painful thing in the world. That night, she found herself sitting at the bar of their house with a glass of scotch in front of her. Just when she picked up the glass to have a sip, her mother swiped it off her, appearing out of nowhere.

"I'll take that. You don't want to try it, the taste isn't pleasant," Blair said, plopping down next to her daughter. Vivian stared at her mother, and Blair was taken aback by the lost look in them. She reached for her daughters hand and held it in hers.

"What's wrong?" Blair asked, gently.

Vivian glanced down at their entwined hands and sighed. She knew her mother better than she knew herself, and that meant that she was sure her mother wouldn't judge.

"I...like this boy, and he likes someone else," Vivian said in a small voice.

"Impossible," her father said from the door, coming to sit on the other side of her.

"Who is this boy?" Blair asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I already don't like him," Chuck said, reaching for the glass of scotch. Blair pulled it away from him and gave him a look. And she wondered why Vivian thought to have a drink.

"No, he's a really great guy. But I don't think I'm the girl for him," Vivian mumbled, bending her head in misery.

Chuck's heart dropped at how downcast his daughter looked.

"How can that be? You're the most beautiful and brilliant girl on the Upper East Side," he said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I know, right?" Vivian responded. Even in her gloominess, she could still be arrogant.

Blair knew this feeling from when she was her age with the boy she believed she was going to marry. She stroked her hair and waited for her to look up. When she did, she smiled at her gently.

"Vivian, you know what the best thing to do in this situation is? Give someone else a chance, and whatever is meant to be, will be," Blair said, seemingly giving her sensible advice.

"Basses don't wallow," Chuck added, before kissing her on the forehead and putting away the glass and bottle.

"We play games," Blair whispered when she was sure Chuck was out of her earshot. Vivian smirked up at her mother, and Blair waggled her eyebrows before bidding her goodnight.

* * *

Ben had been on his way to lacrosse practice when he saw Vivian walking with a tall, shaggy haired guy from their grade. His feet moved of their own accord towards her.

When she noticed him approaching, she grinned inwardly and waved at him casually.

"Vivian," Ben said simply when he reached her.

She nodded to him in greeting.

"What's up?" He asked, his eyes moving from the guy to her.

"Not much, just waiting for Tom's driver to pick us up," Vivian said, searching Ben's face in intrigue.

"It's Tim, actually," the boy said.

"What?" Vivian muttered distractedly.

"My names Tim," he repeated.

"Right," she said, glowering at him for a long moment, trying to set him on fire with her eyes. That was the problem with using people for pawns. They could speak.

"Okay, well have fun then," Ben mumbled, feeling like an idiot as he walked away. What was the point in what he just did? He practically inspected the guy like a police officer.

_You're not her father or her brother, so why do you care so much?_

Vivian would be fine, and she had never allowed him to think that she needed his protection. But a lot of the time, Ben felt like Vivian was his to look out for.

As she watched him walk away, her heart ached in disappointment at his reaction. She had hoped he would go caveman on this guy's ass, or at least something along the lines of it. It was the only reason she had finally agreed to hang out with one of the guys who asked her over. But he wouldn't ever demonstrate such passion about her. Vivian liked to think that it was just the well-bred gentleman in him, but deep down she knew that it must have been because he just didn't care enough.

When Vivian entered Timothy's house, he showed her his room, and they sat on his bed for a little while, listening to music.

Vivian had been flicking through a book aimlessly when he smashed his mouth against hers. She froze in shock, but quickly closed her eyes and tried to throw herself into the kiss. A pair of navy blue eyes appeared in her head, looking hurt and questioning. But she squeezed her eyes shut, reminding herself that those eyes were why she was doing this. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and she felt her blood run cold.

_Hands gripping her body roughly. The hazy sight of icy blue eyes looking down at her. Fear threatening to suffocate her._

"Stop," she cried, shoving him off and gasping.

He looked at her, bewildered.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I-I...I just didn't like it," Vivian said shakily.

"But everyone says that you do," Timothy said, huffily.

"What are you talking about?" Vivian snapped.

"Well you seem like the type to be into it, you can't really blame them," he said, shrugging and leaning back on his bed.

Vivian froze. That was what she had intended, hadn't she? To give people the impression that she ruled men. But it was so far from the truth.

"The guys will love this. You are just another frigid type," Timothy said, shaking his head and moving to stand up. Vivian clenched her hand around his wrist tightly, nails digging in.

He glanced down at her, to find a frightening glare on her face. She pulled him back down to sit next to her forcefully, and moved her face close to his.

"Here's what you're going to do, Timothy. You're going to tell everyone I gave you the best sex you've ever gotten, or I will ruin you," she murmured, her threatening eyes not blinking for a second.

"I haven't even had sex," Tim stammered.

Vivian smirked.

"So I took your virginity? Even better," she said, before getting up and leaving his home all together.

Vivian would rather have people see her as the in-control playgirl than a frightened little innocent.

She knew that deep down, something was wrong with her, but she didn't know how to fix it. No wonder Benton didn't feel the same way as her. She was screwed up, and he deserved much better. So Vivian devised a plan to deal with it, and accept her fate. She began to lead men on under false pretences and give everyone at school the image that something had happened between them. It was amazing how naturally people began to talk about her like she did, whether or not it had actually happened. Sometimes she did try to kiss them, or initiate something, but with each touch horrifying images would appear in her mind; reminders of her darkest moment that made her cower away in panic.

While all this was going on, Ben had been spending the year dealing with the spotlight. There was always a party to attend, or people to meet with Samantha. Gone were the edgy bangs and eyeliner that he had adopted. Now his hair was neatly styled for all photos, and his suit was always Ralph Lauren and perfect. He didn't need to put on the dangerous image anymore to assert his power, because...he had it. Ben was the boy that all the guys envied, and all the girls dreamed about.

He couldn't help but feel stifled by it all.

It wasn't necessarily the power that discomfited him, but rather the way he was showing it. He wasn't entirely sure that this was his way. Something was _off_ in his seemingly perfect world.

As great as she was, sometimes he felt like he didn't want to be known or respected for being Samantha Montgomery's boyfriend, or Nate Archibald's son. It was..._boring._

It was restrictive. Surely there was something else out there for him?

Something more.

Whenever Samantha would list the amount of parties they had coming up to plan, Ben found himself longing for the moment he could escape to get high with Vivian, or just let her presence distract him from his own pressures. It was the best part of his day.

It wasn't fair. Vivian got to be fun, free and exciting. He just wanted to join her in it, but he couldn't. He felt held back by all the expectations that he felt like were placed on him, like he was being cheated out of something else. His parents never made him feel like he had to be like this, but he couldn't help but believe it when he saw how great they were.

Ben could feel it underneath his skin, simmering there. Another Benton Archibald. A shadier, more electrifying one, who was dying to get out whenever Vivian simply glanced at him. He could be wildly jealous too, especially when she paraded her men in front of him. It got to the point where Ben fantasized about shoving away whoever she would flirt with, and throwing her over his shoulder, carrying her away like she was his.

He would have liked to blame it on the fact that he and Samantha hadn't slept together yet, but Ben knew it wasn't sexual frustration. He could probably seduce Samantha if he wanted to, but it was literally like he didn't have it in him. Their kisses felt like tasks that he had to complete, and he was literally waiting until they were over every time. Sometimes, he could swear Samantha felt the same way as well.

He didn't recognize this part of him, but it was growing within him each day. Ben prayed to God that Vivian would just let him be, or at least ease off on her flirting with other men, because it was igniting a fire that he couldn't control.

* * *

One day, in the last semester of 11th grade, Ben had been studying at Vivian's house.

Vivian observed him carefully as he tried to work out the current math problem, noting the way he seemed to bite on the corner of his mouth in concentration. She watched as he disgustingly began to chew on her pen. It still appalled her that she liked him. Sometimes when she was alone, she convinced herself that she was just romanticizing about the first guy to treat her like a human, but then she would see him the next day and heart would speed up, and she wouldn't be able to lie to herself.

It wasn't just that he was good looking, because she knew plenty of boys who were. It was just who he was, and that certain vibrancy that he had. His expression when he smiled, and the way his whole face lit up when he laughed. Nothing made the butterflies in her stomach flutter harder than when she made him laugh. The way he always kept up with her, stubbornly meeting her at every turn. When he looked at her, he probably saw an annoyed look on her face because she got the same annoyed look back. It was how she felt.

Annoyed that she liked him.

Lost in her own thoughts, she almost missed what he had suddenly said to her.

"What is this?" Ben said, holding up a paper from her desk.

_Oh no._

She jumped up from her spot on the bed, and tried to snatch it off him.

"It's nothing, hand it over," Vivian said, reaching for it.

He held his arm back, and she leaned over his body to try and grab it.

She was so close, and her scent was enveloping him. It was too much.

He slowly raised his eyes up to her face, briefly wondering what would happen if he leaned his head up and pressed a tender kiss to her lips.

Vivian glanced down at him, and her heart began to beat rapidly. He was staring up at her like maybe...

_No, it couldn't be._

Vivian tore her gaze away and pulled back, curling her toes in her shoes to hide her reaction.

"Please just give it back to me," she said softly.

Ben nearly gave in then, but he was too curious by what he had found.

"Only if you tell me what it is," he insisted.

"It was just a stupid idea that I had once," she muttered.

"It doesn't look stupid. It looks like you've given it thought," Ben said, looking at her beseechingly.

Vivian just rolled her eyes, and sat on her bed, crossing her arms. It was beyond uncomfortable for her to admit she had tried at something. She could tell her parents were confused as to why she never did. But shining brightly was their perfect first born's job, she thought bitterly. No point in giving them false hope.

"It's supposed to be a room in every hotel...where people can escape to for a few days. It will be the ultimate setting for a party animal, designed to inspire dangerous fun, and cater to the wild weekend. The Lost Suite," Vivian said hesitantly at first, but as she started to explain her idea, her eyes had a certain passion about them.

Ben was silent as he watched her, and she was filled with dread.

"Obviously it's not a strong concept, and it's hardly a worthy investment. So-" she said quickly, playing with her skirt in embarrassment.

"It's brilliant," Ben murmured, and she glanced back up at him.

He was smiling at her so openly, and she bit her lip to control her smile, nodding quietly. The moment suddenly felt softer as they gazed into each other's eyes, lingering there.

Damn him. One compliment and she was ready to doodle his name on her binder.

He shook his head at her, completely impressed. Vivian never failed to blow him away. He knew she was smart, but she was just selective about how she wanted to apply her inner-genius. One girl couldn't possibly be that incredible.

"You have to show this to your dad. Do you know what you want it to look like?" Ben asked, clearing his throat and looking back down at the sheet of paper after staring a little too long.

"I have some ideas, but I'm not exactly a designer," she said with a shrug.

"I could draw it for you, if you'd like," he said, his blue eyes bright in excitement.

Vivian looked at him in wonder. He seemed so... invested in her idea. It was like balm to her soul.

"Why not?" Vivian said non-nonchalantly, but inside she was thrilled.

* * *

A few days later, they were at Henry's huge birthday bash at Vivian's place.

The plan was to show her father the proposal and designs casually while he was in a relaxed atmosphere.

"Do you think he'll go for it?" Vivian asked, suddenly feeling nervous as she studied her father.

"Don't be nervous, he's going to love it," Ben said encouragingly, and then pulled her over to speak to him. Vivian hated being pulled, but when Ben did it...well, she wasn't about to stop him.

Her father was chuckling at something Serena was telling him when they interrupted him.

"Father, I was wondering if I could have a word with you in the study," Vivian said as easily as she could manage.

He raised an eyebrow at her, and nodded. Vivian and Ben followed him to his office. Chuck sat down in his chair and stared up at them, leaning back and entwining his fingers together over his chest.

"Shoot," he said with an intrigued, lopsided smile.

Vivian looked at him, feeling wary all of a sudden. Suddenly he wasn't her dad at all, and he was an investor for her idea. Ben cleared his throat, and that woke her up.

She stood up straighter.

"I have an idea, that I think would give your business a uniqueness...a special 'Bass touch' if you want to call it," Vivian started.

"I'm listening," Chuck replied, his eyes twinkling up at her in amusement.

"For so long, you've been so...legitimate that it's become dull, sir. Now is the time loosen your top button and to give people the real, thrilling experience of staying at one of your hotels," she continued, and handed him the papers.

Chuck skimmed through the document in front of him, and got the gist of it from its opening summary. His facial expression remained neutral as he continued to read, but he pointed a finger at Vivian and nodded silently. They studied his response for a long moment, until he got up, shaking his finger at them without glancing away from the page. He opened up a cabinet to pull out some more documents.

Vivian grinned to herself. She knew exactly what that cabinet was for. Chuck returned to his desk and opened up his laptop, simultaneously dialling a number on his phone.

She nodded, suppressing her smirk of victory and motioning to Ben to walk out and leave her father to it. They walked further down the corridor. Well, Ben did. Vivian believed she was floating.

"How did you know that he liked it? He didn't even say anything," Ben commented when he noticed how pleased she looked. Chuck hadn't said a word.

"He didn't need to," Vivian replied. It was true, because her father and even she managed to speak volumes without saying anything sometimes. They never wasted their words.

Ben grinned at her proudly.

"Told you he'd go for it. I wonder if he'll like my designs though," he said.

"How could he not?" Vivian said softly, staring up at him as she allowed a little vulnerability to show in her dreamy state. She couldn't help herself, because things felt marvellous right now.

"Do you like them?" he said croakily, stepping a little closer and searching her eyes.

They had stopped walking, and were still in the hall way. But neither of them had noticed, now caught in a little bubble where nothing existed except them. Vivian felt warm from how close she was to the object of her desire. She wished he would look away, just so she could regather her bearings, but at the same time she desperately wanted him to come even closer.

"I...think they were amazing," she whispered, unsure if she was talking about the drawings or him anymore.

He couldn't remember ever being given a compliment from Vivian, at least not one that seemed so meaningful. And that clear look she was giving him.

Ben found himself leaning down, and brushing his lips against hers.

He pulled away to see her staring at him with wide eyes, her lips trembling.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what I was-" Ben started to say, before she cupped his face in her hands.

The first thing he felt was her hot breath against his face, and it caused his eyes to close. Then, their lips met again, and he was a goner.

Every nerving ending in his body stood up, and he felt so..._alive_. She was real; this moment was something so real.

_God, she feels so soft. Has she always been this soft?_

He helplessly wrapped his arms around her body as they kissed, anchoring her to him in an attempt to keep her there, but he didn't seem to need to. She had enveloped him just as tightly, and pressed herself against him. Vivian kissed him hungrily, as though she was afraid it was never going to happen again. When he heard her sigh into it, it was like he had died and gone to heaven.

Vivian had no idea how they had gotten here. A look in her room? A flirtation here and there? All she knew was that it was the most romantic moment of her life. She didn't know how long they had been kissing, but she couldn't let go. It felt wonderful to be held by him. His arms trembled around her, and she could feel his heart racing against her chest, filling her with the realization that maybe she hadn't been alone in what she was feeling.

_Wow, do guys shake like that with every kiss?_

She waited for the darkness, and the empty fear to appear like it did with everyone else, but it never did. All she felt was elation as he desperately kissed her over and over again.

Why hadn't they done this before?

"Hey! I knew it," Henry slurred drunkenly, causing them to break apart in shock as he appeared out of nowhere.

Vivian and Ben just stared at him speechlessly, still overcome by the sensations coursing through them from their unexpectedly passionate kiss.

"I told you my sexual tension radar is unpara...para...p-hmm," Henry continued to mumble before promptly dropping to the floor and passing out right there.

Vivian had to chuckle at her brother, but when she turned to look at Ben she found him looking at her softly. She just knew that he wanted to kiss her again, and her heart raced in anticipation. He leaned in, and she briefly remembered the satisfaction of seeing her lipstick smeared around his mouth before she spotted something over his shoulder that made her freeze in shock.

Ben noticed how she looked, and courageously stroked his finger tips against her cheek.

"What is it?" He asked in concern.

"What is he doing here?" Vivian whispered, and Ben turned to see a guy with light blue eyes and black hair standing with a drink in his hand. They were obstructed from his view at this angle, hidden behind a wall. Ben briefly remembered him as Georgina Sparks second cousin, an older boy that he hadn't had the displeasure of attending high school with. His parents had apparently sent him to military school after his wild behaviour had become too much to handle.

"Must be here with Jack and Georgina," Ben said, and turned back to see an uncharacteristically frightened look on Vivian's face.

"What's wrong?" Ben asked, feeling apprehensive at such foreign expression on the Bass girl.

As though she had realized how she seemed, Vivian shook her head.

"Nothing, that guy is a psycho," she said with a weak chuckle.

Ben nodded but didn't laugh, staring at her and trying to work her out.

"There you are, Ben," Nate said, suddenly appearing in the corridor. He noticed Henry passed out on the floor and chuckled.

"I'll help this little puppy. Your mother is waiting in the car to leave," his father said as he bent down and tried to wake up Henry. Ben didn't want to leave, not when he had just shared the greatest kiss of his life with Vivian. He wanted to give Vivian some sort of look, or touch to show her that he felt this way, but he couldn't in front of his father, and when he stared at Vivian, she seemed a million miles away.

"Goodbye," he whispered to her. She just stared at him silently, and he left as quickly as he could.

* * *

Ben couldn't sleep that night, tossing and turning with his rude awakening.

He liked Vivian.

Not just _liked_, but adored her, worshiped her mind, her soul and her body. It was crazy, because this was _Vivian. _His original arch nemesis and his best friend. A partner in crime if he ever saw one.

But suddenly it made sense.

Vivian was meant for him.

He had been feeling affection for her that wasn't friendly or brotherly for some time. He had been trying to kill it, and squash it, but now it was there plain and simple, at the forefront of his mind. In all their years of friendship, her aloofness frustrated him to no end. But at the same time, he had found himself desperately clinging to any little look in her eyes that seemed jealous, or anything other than smug. He had wanted her to chase him, longing for her to treat him the way she seemed to treat every other guy in their class. Like someone attractive, and worthy of her flirtations. Sometimes, her looks would subtly express that, but that stirring kiss said more than anything else.

And he guessed that maybe, just maybe, she felt the same way. He had to find out, and he had to break it off with Samantha. Ben didn't care what happened, or what it did to him.

He wanted her.

She was worth the risk, he was sure of it.

* * *

The next morning, he marched right over to Samantha's to break up with her. However, when he entered her room, he caught her in a heavy lip-lock with Ryan Thompson. She jumped from Ryan in shock when she heard him enter. Ben was frozen in astonishment for a moment.

"Oh my God, Ben. I can explain," she squeaked, getting up and stumbling towards him.

He backed out of the room in confusion for a second and headed towards the stairs. When had this happened?

"Ben, wait!" Samantha called out.

He stopped, turning around to look at her.

"How?" Ben asked simply.

Samantha paused, and sighed.

"It hasn't been going on long...he's my first love, and I just-I-" she stammered, and something just clicked in Ben's head.

He held his hands up to stop her explanation, and shook his head smiling.

"It's okay," he said softly.

Samantha looked puzzled for a second, but then she smiled in realisation.

"It was always her, wasn't it," she said.

Ben nodded, and gave her a lopsided grin. Samantha was great, and judging by the bright look in her eyes, Ryan was going to be great back to her. A much more appreciative boyfriend than he ever had been.

She hugged him for a moment, and then pulled back.

"You take care of yourself, Sam," he said.

"You too, Ben," she said with her pearly white grin.

Samantha was an all's well that ends well kind of person, like him. And as he sat in the cab on the way to Vivian's, he hoped that could only mean good things for him.

When Dorota showed Ben in to the home, the first thing he saw was a hung over Henry at the breakfast table. His heart jumped, wondering if the guy would remember how he had caught him making out with his sister.

Henry looked up at him wearily, and he looked confused for a second, as though he was trying to remember. Then he shook his head and looked down at his coffee, feeling too sick to bother with pleasantries.

Ben inwardly sighed in relief.

"Where's your sister?" Ben asked, jumping straight to the point.

Henry looked up at him with furrowed eyebrows.

"You don't know? Vivian left for Paris early this morning," he said.

"What?" Ben said in shock.

"Yeah, my parents were pissed that she chartered the jet without warning them, but you know Viv," Henry said, shrugging and stirring his coffee.

Ben was speechless for a moment as he felt a searing pain in his chest. She had just _left_? How could she do that?

"Well, do you know when she's coming back? What about school?" Ben asked frantically, hoping his face didn't show how troubled he felt.

"No idea, I guess she's just going to miss the last few weeks of school and start her vacation early," Henry said, rolling his eyes at his sister's complete disregard for her education.

But Ben knew what this really was.

Vivian had run away.

* * *

Ben had felt dead inside for the next few weeks. He barely spoke to anyone unless he had to. His parents sensed that something was wrong, and whenever he felt like they were about to ask him about it, he left the room.

He had never felt so hurt in all of his life. Ben couldn't even bring himself to call her, afraid of what she might say, or how it would make him feel.

She had kissed him like he was everything to her and left him like he was nothing to her the next day. Had she just used him for what she wanted like she did with every other guy? Was this all just some form of amusement for her?

The thought made him unsure if he wanted to break something or simply break down.

He had a strange suspicion that Vivian Bass had broken his heart.

* * *

Benton Archibald's world began to crumble after that, almost naturally.

He had been changing at his locker when one of his teammates came up to him.

"Hey, is your Mom able to hook us up?" the guy said with a laugh.

Ben narrowed his eyes at him.

"What did you just say?"

"I mean, since she deals, you know. Or does she not anymore?" He continued with a smirk.

Ben lifted the guy by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against a locker.

"Don't dare speak about my mother like that," he snarled, shoving him further to prove his point.

The boy threw his hands up in surrender.

"Hey man, I'm just telling you the truth," he cried.

"What are you talking about? Who are you anyway?" Ben said, leaning his head back to glare at the blonde.

"I'm Phillip. Phillip Dalgaard. And I've done my research about my parents. So before you walk around this school acting all high and mighty, you should do yours," he snapped, pushing Ben roughly and walking away.

Ben had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Like maybe this Dalgaard guy wasn't lying about his mother. Like maybe there was more to his great parents than he thought.

So he took out his iPhone and Googled them and came across a site called Gossip Girl.

That explained itself.

When Benton got home that evening, he could barely look at his mother when he walked through the door.

"Hey Ben, how was school?" Jenny asked from her spot on couch.

Ben ignored her and headed towards the stairs.

"Benton, I'm speaking to you," she said, getting up from her seat and following him.

"And I'm ignoring you, in case you aren't aware," he said quietly, turning around to glare at her.

"Excuse me?" Jenny said, raising her eyebrows. Ben had never given her trouble with manners, so she knew something was seriously wrong.

"You heard me," he snapped.

"I don't know what exactly is wrong with you, but that tone needs to stop right now," Jenny spoke in a severe voice.

"Who do you think you are telling me what to do? What gives you the right?" Ben cried angrily.

"I'm your mother, and I know what's right," Jenny retorted, her voice rising.

"Really? So it's right to deal drugs?" Ben bellowed.

Jenny went white in shock, and his father entered the room at that moment.

"What's going on?" Nate said, having heard the shouting on his way in. He saw the petrified state his wife was in and immediately walked over to her, gripping her shoulders, rubbing them in comfort as he searched her face.

Ben laughed humourlessly as his father acted the part of doting husband.

It all seemed like a lie.

Nate narrowed his eyes at his son when he heard him.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked.

"What's wrong with _me_? What's wrong with _you_, Dad? Why were you labelled as the class whore?" Ben cried. He was furious with his father. He always made him tell him everything, and in return he was told _nothing_.

Nate blinked at his son, but unlike Jenny, he wasn't very shocked. He knew that someday his son would ask him these questions, and find the name-and-shaming site. It didn't make him feel less guilty about his past though.

"You know what? I don't even need to hear it. I don't want to know how or why you've both hooked up with people you shouldn't have, or betrayed your own friends and family," Ben spat accusingly.

"Ben, I was very young and-" Jenny said in a small voice, tears forming in her eyes.

"I don't care! You're always telling me to be careful when _you're _the one that should have been. You're a hypocrite and I hate you!" Ben shouted her.

The look on his mothers face was devastating, but he didn't care. He wanted to hurt her.

"Don't you _ever_ speak to your mother that way _again_," Nate said quietly.

Ben stared at his father, and his face fell immediately at the look on his face.

So he turned and ran out of the house, unable to be around them anymore.

Not for what they had done, but for what he had said.

He wandered the streets for hours, surrounded by strangers and feeling more alone than ever. Ben eventually found himself in the place in the park where Vivian and he got high. His hands were shaking as he pulled out his phone and dialled her number.

He pulled his hair as it rang and rang, and he didn't get an answer. The voice-mail sound beeped.

"Vivian, please pick up. Everything has gone to shit, and you're the only one who might get it. Whatever I did, I'm sorry. Please come home," Ben choked out, and hung up, throwing his phone away.

He pulled out the joint and lighter from his pocket, ignoring the lump in his throat and the way his eyes burned up. As angry as he was at everyone in his life, all he felt was self-loathing at this moment in time. Like he had done something to drive pretty much all of them away.

Ben lay there in the grass, smoking in self-pity for some time before he sensed someone approach him and sit next to him.

He looked up and saw his father.

Nate plucked the joint from his son and took a drag.

Ben sat up in shock, eyes widening at his dad. Nate just shrugged at him.

After staring at his father in awe for a long moment, he shook his head.

"How did you find me?" Ben asked.

"Where did you think I used to go when I was upset? My friends and I practically lived in this park throughout high school," Nate said as he put the joint out.

Ben stared at his father silently.

"I'll always find you Ben, no matter what," his father said, giving him a lop-sided smile.

Ben could only look away at the pond when he said that.

"Ben, when your mother and I were your age, we didn't always know the right people to date, or the right choices to make," Nate said slowly.

"But you're everyone's favorite politician, and she's the most talented designer in the world. You guys have always been the best parents," Ben said, shaking his head. All this was still so true despite it all.

"Maybe, but we're also human, and we made mistakes, especially when we were young," Nate explained.

Ben nodded, and surprisingly this felt like something he needed to hear. The pressure that had always plagued him seemed to ease off with his father's words.

"I'm sorry if my mistakes hurt you," Nate said solemnly.

"I'm sorry too," Ben replied.

His father stood up then, and held out his hand to help Ben up.

They walked over to the waiting car and got in. Nate studied his son carefully, because he had been worried about how distressed his son had gotten. He knew something had been upsetting his son for a few weeks now, but he never got the chance to talk to him about it until now.

"Are you okay, Ben? Is there anything else going on?" Nate asked when he saw the disconcerted look on Ben's face when he looked at his phone.

Ben glanced up at his father, and opened his mouth to deny it.

"I'm not going to judge. Maybe telling me will help," his father said quickly, as though he knew what he was going to say.

Ben sighed.

"Has a girl ever...hurt you?" He asked his father hesitantly. This was Nate Archibald he was talking to. The guy had probably broken more hearts than had his own.

Surprisingly enough, his father nodded.

"Did something happen with Samantha?" Nate asked.

"No, we broke up weeks ago now," Ben said casually.

Nate raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Since when? You guys seemed to get along nicely," he said, a little put out that he had somehow missed this.

"It's complicated," Ben replied, shaking his head.

"Make it simple for me," Nate insisted with a smile.

Ben sighed, and looked to be thinking about it for a moment as though he was trying to work it out. Then he spoke.

"'Simple' was breaking up with Samantha. I thought it would be much more complicated, but it wasn't. I wish I had done it earlier, but there were tons of reasons, logical ones, for going out with her. Everything was _nice_. Not dramatic, not emotional, not feeling like a yo-yo, it was just nice. I'd look at her and think, nice. Nice body, nice face, sex would be nice..." Ben blurted, and paused when he realized what he had admitted.

They hadn't really had a conversation like this before, but when he looked up at his father, he was rubbing his face and grinning.

"Go on," Nate said with a chuckle.

"Breaking up with her was easy, but the thought of breaking up with...this other girl would be like, I don't even want to think about it. I don't look at her and think _nice_. I look at her and think of holding her and never letting go, I think of sex every time she walks into the room," Ben rambled. It was like word vomit, but it felt good for Ben to finally admit it out loud.

"Who is this other girl?" Nate asked, his eyes widening, because it sounded a lot like his son was in love.

Ben pressed his lips together, not feeling ready to admit that part. Vivian was his best friend too, and part of him was afraid that they had ruined it. At least if no one knew about the kiss, maybe they could salvage whatever they had left.

"Well, you're obviously serious about her, so why can't I know her name?" Nate asked.

"She's just too difficult," Ben said quietly, shaking his head.

"You know Ben; I've dated a lot of complicated women, your mother being one of them. Passion is something that should be there, but also respect," Nate said gently, but firmly. He had wished someone had told him this when he was a kid. As long as Ben knew this, Nate was sure he'd be fine.

"You just need to find the one who has both, and all that _yo-yoing_ will be worth it," his father said with a chuckle, and Ben laughed quietly back at him.

When they reached their home, Ben felt sick. How was he going to face his mother after what he had said to her?

Ben walked into the living room to see her playing scrabble with his uncle, who had been looking after his sister while Nate searched for Ben. Dan was chattering away about the game and how it could be therapeutic. Jenny had a weak smile on her face as she stirred her tea.

When she noticed Ben there, she glanced up at him, relief filling her eyes, before turning back to the game almost patiently.

Ben clenched his jaw to stop his face from crumbling.

"Mom," he said quietly, looking at the ground.

Jenny looked at him softly.

"Do you think it would be okay if I joined you?" Ben asked, his voice wavering.

She stared at him for a moment, and then smiled, patting the spot next to her on the couch.

Ben slowly walked up to them and sat next to his mother.

"Jenny's totally losing, she could use your help," Dan joked, to relieve the tension.

"Mom, I'm sorry," Ben whispered in a strangled voice, leaning his head on her shoulder. She immediately wrapped her arms around him, kissing him on the top of his head.

Dan smiled at them, and looked back to see Nate watching his family from the doorway with this look on his face.

It looked a lot like love.

* * *

Vivian was sitting with her grandpa Cyrus on their balcony; scrolling through her phone when she realized that she had a voice-mail message from Ben. She swallowed as she put her phone to her ear.

When Vivian first heard his voice, she closed her eyes as she happily let the sound wash over her. But then she heard the rest of the message, and how panicked he seemed, and almost automatically, she began to panic too.

He needed her.

"Who is that, dear?" Cyrus asked, pushing forward the plate of biscuits to her.

"Nobody," Vivian whispered, lost in her own thoughts as she broke off half a biscuit. He gave her a look when she did that, and forcefully handed her the rest of the biscuit.

"Not enough. And obviously it's somebody if you're brooding about them," Cyrus asked knowingly.

Vivian smirked at the old man. He wasn't a lawyer for nothing. Henry worshiped Cyrus, Blair adored him and Chuck was grateful for him. But Vivian was the one Bass who frustrated him.

"I may have taken a lover," she drawled casually.

"I'm going to ignore that you just said that, as your grandfather," Cyrus said, sighing uncharacteristically impatiently.

Vivian chuckled. She loved her grandfather, and she secretly respected him. He was so unafraid to love and to be loved.

"I know you didn't come here because you missed my hugs Vivian. Who are you running from?" Cyrus asked.

"Don't be ridiculous, darling. Waldorf women don't run away," Eleanor said, joining them on the balcony, causing Vivian to jump slightly and sit up straighter.

Her grandmother was right. It was time she returned home and faced her demons.

There was an Archibald waiting for her.

* * *

Ben was on his way to school for the last day before summer. He passed by his usual cafe to pick up a cup of coffee on the way to school. This was supposed to be his activity with Vivian, and he felt wrong doing it without her.

When he opened the door to the shop, he froze.

Vivian was sitting at their usual table, but she wasn't alone. Ben watched in horror as Sparks seemed to touch her hand on the table, and give her a sincere look. Vivian stared back him with something akin to relief in her eyes; before she glanced down to hide her look.

Ben had seen enough, and escaped before she could spot him.

He was a bigger mess than ever before. He couldn't focus in class, wondering about what he had witnessed and barely acknowledged teachers scolding him for zoning out.

Then the worst hit came when he was showering after gym.

"Hey dudes, did you hear that Sparks is back in town?" One of the guys shouted over the water from his stall.

"Man that guys a legend. He's probably the youngest person to have ever hired a hooker," another guy replied with a laugh.

"I heard he took Vivian Bass's virginity as well," the first guy said, and the guys chorused in whistles.

The animals were carrying on so loudly that none of them heard Ben drop the soap and fall back against the walls of his stall in shock.

_No, it couldn't be._

Ben didn't know why it hurt so much to know that. He already knew that Vivian had slept with many guys, had done many not so brilliant things and he still felt all these powerful things for her.

But the fact she seemed so affected by this guy, and the fact that she had given him her virginity. Did that mean she cared for him? Was she back to reunite with him? She clearly didn't give a crap about Ben either way.

Ben realized how pathetic he sounded, and in that moment, he hated Vivian almost as much as he wanted her. She would pay for treating him like this, for making him _feel _like this.

It was war.

* * *

That night, Vivian entered Felicity Whitner's end-of-school-year party.

For some reason, Ben had been avoiding her calls, and she couldn't find him at his house. She guessed that he'd be at this party.

Vivian glanced around, and found him practically grinding on that Whitner bitch.

Wow, that was mildly devastating.

"Whatever happened to Samantha?" she drawled as offhandedly as she could when she approached Ben.

Ben pulled away at her voice and surveyed her from head to toe, a look of distaste on his face. Vivian hadn't seen him look at her like that since they were kids.

"How did _you_ get in here? You weren't invited," Felicity said, glaring at her.

"Never stopped me before," Vivian said nonchalantly. Crashing parties was one of her favourite past times.

Felicity opened her mouth to tell her off, but Ben spoke over her.

"Why don't you give us a moment," he said to Felicity, flashing a grin.

The cheerleader seemed to practically swoon, before nodding and walking off. Vivian rolled her eyes, and Ben caught it.

"Problem, Bass?" Ben said drily.

"None at all. But, word of advice, you should read the things written about her in the bathroom walls at school before you try anything," Vivian snapped back defensively. She wasn't sure what was going on here, but she didn't like it.

"Can't imagine it'd be any worse than the names guys give _you_," Ben snarked, giving her a nasty smirk. It was like he had gotten into a frenzy, and he wanted her to feel as low as she made him feel. But even as the words tumbled out, the thought of hurting her practically stabbed at him.

Vivian swallowed thickly at his remark, never having dealt with Ben in such a state. But she was always ready to rally him.

"And what do you call guys who kiss other people when they've got a girlfriend?" Vivian commented quietly.

"_Don't _try to turn this around on me. You're the weakling who ran away," he growled between clenched teeth.

"Benton, you need to shut up and let me explain," Vivian said impatiently, because he had it all wrong.

"Well, as much as I'd love to hear it. I'm a little busy trying to get laid right now," Ben said shortly.

Vivian's mouth fell open as he stalked away from her like a pompous prince.

"Fine, Archibald. You want to do this? We'll do this," she muttered, a lethal look on her face as she watched him put his arms around two blondes.

It didn't take long for Vivian to thwart his efforts at sleeping with every girl there. All it had taken was a whisper in someone's ear about his recent test results and they vanished from his side. The rumour spread through the party like...well, Chlamydia.

Ben didn't know why, but suddenly all the girls at the party had gone from drooling over him to eyeing the exits every time he tried to chat one of them up. As his current conquest tried to flee, he grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Do you want to check out one of these rooms with me?" Ben asked one of them in a low, seductive tone.

"No thanks, you're hot, but I don't do STD's," the girl said, and hurried away before he could question further.

Ben looked around in confusion, until he spotted Vivian watching.

She raised her glass at him, giving him that look she got when her plan fell into place. Vivian flicked her head, as if to say "check-mate," before strutting out of the party.

That bitch.

He charged after her, unsure of whether he wanted to fuck her or throttle her.

When he got outside, he scanned the streets for her.

There she was.

Sitting on his town car, waiting for him.

"Get off my car," he spat.

"No," she replied, crossing her arms over chest stubbornly. Ben should have known not to go against her in this way. She always played dirty, and she didn't feel a single ounce of guilt doing so. But right now, she just wanted to sort this out. Vivian didn't _want_ to start World War 3, but she just had to take him down a notch. He was just lucky that she didn't start the gay rumour back up.

He stared at her for a moment, nostrils flaring as he exhaled in rage as she refused to budge. Then he picked her up and placed her on the side walk, causing her to shrill in outrage. Then he turned to his car, but she shoved him from behind.

"_Hey_, I need to talk to you," she said.

"I don't want to listen," he snarled, getting in her face. Their eyes met, both sparkling with fury.

But just as suddenly, they softened, and they could see how much they had missed each other.

Ben pulled away from the stare off first, going to open his car door. She stopped him, putting her hand on his arm and gripping it. A tingle went up his arm and spread through the rest of his body.

Then Vivian said something that she had never said to another person.

"Look, I'm_ sorry._ I know how long you and I have been friends," she started to say, but he interrupted her.

"No, it's not okay Vivian. I mean, do you know how worried I've been? We kissed and then you ran away to Paris, and when you came back, I found you talking to that Sparks idiot. How do you think that makes me feel?" he snapped, cursing himself at how injured he now sounded. He couldn't look at her, his pride completely shattered. But when he did, he was surprised to see that her face had fallen, and she looked just as upset as he felt.

"It wasn't what you thought, none of this was. I came back for _you_," she cried. He had never seen her this way, dozens of emotions coursing through her face. None of them were her condescending look.

"Do you want me or not?" he asked her point blank.

She was silent for a moment, and it looked like her breath had disappeared. Fear was now at the forefront of her face.

"You have a girlfriend, don't you?" Vivian whispered.

"I broke up with her," he said straight away. Ben would give her this one honest moment, before he never opened up again.

Vivian still didn't say anything, but her eyes filled with hope.

"Just, tell me truth Vivian," Ben asked more gently, cupping her cheek hesitantly. She didn't flinch away like he expected. "Why did you run away?"

"Because of Sparks," she whispered, and her wide eyes made her look more scared than ever.

"What about him? Do you...have feelings for him?" Ben asked her, inwardly wincing at the thought.

"It's nothing like that," she mumbled, shaking her head.

He sighed in relief. "Then what Vivian? It's _me_. What could be so bad?" Ben asked persistently.

She stared at him, and seemed to be warring it over in her head, her eyes moving from side to side in thought.

"What are you so afraid of?" Ben asked challengingly. It was the only way to get it out of her. He knew it, and that was why she seemed to narrow her eyes and swallow. She nodded, as though she had reached a decision in her head.

"Can we please go to...Brooklyn?" Vivian asked in a small voice. Ben gave her a bewildered look, but when he saw the sincerity in her eyes, he nodded. He led her to his car, and they were off. Once they pulled into the neighbourhood, she looked out the window as though she was trying to find something. A look of approval passed through face, and she asked the driver to stop the car.

They both exited it, and she led him to a little space between two broken-down looking buildings. He didn't question it or her for now. Ben just wanted the truth about Sparks.

She lit up a joint and took a drag. He waited, and it seemed like forever before she finally spoke.

"When I was 11, a few things happened," she said in a numb voice. She said it so emotionlessly, but her hand holding the joint was quivering as it rose to her mouth.

Ben's eyes scanned her face in complete focus, trying to analyse it for clues. She was so distractingly beautiful that he almost missed the intensely frightened look in her eyes as she seemed to be on another time.

Vivian let the joint fall to the ground, putting it out with her shoe as she spoke. "I used to snoop around for dirt on people. At first it was just non-harmful secrets about kids in our class, but then it turned into things about adults. My parents mainly."

He nodded. "And what did you find?"

Vivian's eyes widened as she looked at him. The amount of pain in her hazel eyes took his breath away.

He quickly held her hands between his. "Vivian, what did you find?" Benton asked firmly.

"So many things. So many awful things that nobody else in the world could ever get over," she whispered, her hands trembling furiously in his.

Vivian closed her eyes and looked down for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I...I didn't care. Even at that age, I...understood it all, somehow, after the shock wore off. The worst thing that they had ever done, the darkest thought that they ever had. I still love them."

"But?" Ben pressed, leaning closer. It surprised him how he didn't pull away at what she admitted. In fact, her dark, twisted story was drawing him in further.

"But, I was scared of it. Especially when it came to my father and both of his parents, and what it could mean for me," she said, a tear slipping down her cheek.

He wiped her cheek, and her face crumbled immediately.

"I mean, I'm Vivian Bass, right?" Benton supposed that she had intended to sound sarcastic, or even light-hearted. But it was a choked out mess as she started to cry. He pulled her into him, and it was silent for a moment as he felt the sobs wracking her body and transferring onto him.

"There were times when... m-my father would look at me, and a look of pain would flash through his eyes. I-It was so quick; you could only _just_ notice it. I never...understood it, but after I saw pictures of his biological mother, I knew he was thinking of what she did to him," she cried. The pure agony in her voice made his heart tighten. She was shaking.

He stroked her hair and held her tighter, trying to squeeze the hurt out of her. It wasn't fair that anyone, let alone _her,_ had to feel that way at all in their life. She had been too young for what she had discovered, and hadn't known what to do with it. Benton could just picture a terrified, vulnerable little girl, nobody understanding why or how she was slipping into the darkness. He remembered it now, those brief moments where she looked so incredibly down.

"It's okay, you're okay," he whispered over and over again in her ear, rocking her slightly. When she seemed to register what he was saying, she ripped herself away.

"No I'm _not, _you don't understand. You don't even know!" she shouted.

"Know what Vivian?" He asked quietly.

"I didn't lose my virginity to Sparks," she cried out. "But I almost did. I was sad, _so_ sad! And so lost. He knew that, and he latched onto it."

Vivian told him everything, of how he had convinced her to come to one of his high-school parties. How he had given her so much to drink that she couldn't feel anything as he had seemingly stolen her innocence and left her to mourn the loss of her virginity with no recollection of how it happened. All she had felt was fear, self-hatred and depression.

"Today, he found me while I was waiting for you at our spot at the cafe to tell me that something had stopped him at the last minute. He came to apologize, because he wanted to get married to his girlfriend without it being on his conscience," she mumbled. He had also thanked Vivian, because that incident had made him realize how far he didn't want to fall. Military school had been his own choice.

But then she revealed something that Ben didn't see coming.

"I haven't slept with anybody. I've been too scared," she whispered, rubbing her arms and looking out onto the street.

Benton looked away in shock as he processed this. "But...all these guys you've been conquering?"

"I lied. Boys typically lied. I let the world think what they wanted about me. It didn't matter, and I didn't know how else to deal with it," she said hoarsely, shaking her head. "I didn't care about saving myself after I knew I could sink so low."

Ben nodded, his blue eyes crinkling in thought as he contemplated her words. He had been so consumed in his awe of her for the entirety of their friendship that he had overlooked all the tell-tale signs. But then a new thought arose in him. "You did care though. You would have just slept with him or someone else if you didn't. You were waiting for something," he spoke aloud for her.

It was then that the shadows seemed to disappear from her face, her shoulders relaxing as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "Not long after that, this boy that I hated asked me if I wanted to hang out with him, but for some reason I couldn't escape him. Everywhere I went, he caught up with me."

Ben blinked in surprise.

Vivian had been looking up to him, this whole time. It made him feel strong, and...more like a man. _Her_ man. An incredible feeling bubbled up in him as he sighed, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear and smiling softly at her. He had more questions, but for now he had heard what he needed to hear from her. She looked better, but he wanted to be sure. "Are you okay?"

"I am now."

* * *

It was late by the time they arrived in front of Vivian's house.

Vivian was leaning against him, and his arm had naturally wrapped around her as they sat against the car seats. A few hours ago, he had wanted to kill her, but now he felt closer to her than ever.

"I never asked you, but why Brooklyn?" Ben asked as he squeezed her fondly, neither of them making a move to get out of the car. He couldn't help but grin, because before her confession, Vivian never allowed him to physically comfort her. Now she was practically clinging to him.

Vivian smirked up at him. "I wanted to say it somewhere that I'd never visit again."

Ben laughed quietly, and then opened the door for them to get out. As soon as she stepped onto the pavement however, she quickly latched back onto him. He gave her a surprised look, causing her to pull back uncertainly.

He quickly drew her back to him. "No, no. Stay," he said, biting his lip in a grin.

His smile fell, and he swallowed when he caught the beautiful, happy light in her hazel eyes. His heart raced at the sight. Had he done that?

When they reached the foyer of her house, she pulled out her keys to open the door and walked in silently. He took that as his cue to leave, and it _had _been getting late.

"I guess I'll be going then," Ben said, and turned to walk down the path.

"Wait!" Vivian exclaimed, and he turned back to look at her questioningly.

She looked hesitant and shy for a moment. "Do you want to maybe...sleep over? For old times' sake?"

Ben chuckled and gave her a surprised look.

"We're 16, not 11. I don't think you'll be safe in a bed with me anymore," he said with smirk.

Vivian actually blushed for the first time ever. The humor in his face vanished as their eyes locked for a long, heated moment.

"Your parents would really let me stay the night?" Ben asked, disbelievingly.

"They still think we're friends, as far as they know," Vivian replied.

"And are we friends?" Ben asked, raising his eyebrows with a challenging look.

Vivian stared at him for a minute, and a smirk appeared on her face.

"I guess you'll have to come in and find out," she drawled, and walked into her home.

Ben rubbed his face in agony as his eyes followed her. Vivian was still trouble. She was always going to be trouble.

And he never wanted it to change.

Like a moth to a flame he followed her into her house and up the stairs to her room. The lights were all off in the house, and it appeared that her parents had gone to bed already.

Vivian stood near the doorway to her bedroom, and she winked before walking into the room. He froze when she did this, feeling like he was having déjà vu. Then he remembered that he had once dreamt of her doing this when he was 13. He thanked the Lord that his pants remained un-ruined this time, although he did feel something jolt down there as he watched her.

When he entered her room, she had been changing inside her walk-in closet, so he sat on her bed and took his shoes off. She emerged from the closet and his jaw dropped when he looked up at her. She was in a little slip of a nightgown that made her cleavage taunt him, unfairly.

He felt lightheaded.

Ben had never seen so much of her...assets on display. Vivian's mouth twitched a little as she stared at him knowingly.

"I'm sorry, I don't have any pyjamas that you can borrow," she drawled.

Ben breathed in and counted to ten in his head. He knew that she wanted to see how far she could take him.

She wanted to play with fire? Well, he could do it too.

"That's okay, I'll just sleep in my boxers," he said evenly, before taking his shirt off right in front of her.

Ben grinned inwardly as her eyes glazed over, running over his body. It was at that moment that he finally understood the real benefit to joining the lacrosse team, and going running with his father.

He took off his pants next, and Vivian looked away all together, seeming to distract herself by opening up the covers to her bed.

_Ha_.

She climbed in, and he walked around the other side to climb in as well.

They lay on their backs next to each other and stared at the ceiling for a long moment.

"Nice pyjamas by the way," Ben muttered.

"Thanks, they're new," she replied, her voice only betraying a little tremor.

It was silent again.

"Just like old times, huh?" Ben said, with a weak chuckle.

Vivian didn't respond, but turned to look at him. He blinked at her, and in a flash their bodies gravitated towards each other, lips finding each other.

"Mmmph," he moaned into her mouth, mingling with her own delicious whimper as they rolled around.

Their bodies were pressed together so tightly that she couldn't tell where one of them ended and the other began anymore. Her breasts rubbed against his chest, and soon he was desperate for more. He began to kiss and suckle on her neck messily, but she didn't mind. In fact, she was gasping loudly and running her hands through his hair, almost in an attempt to calm herself. His lips traveled of their own accord down her collarbone, until he was unabashedly staring at her cleavage.

"Oh, God. What are we doing Vivian?" He groaned, before beginning to nibble on the area helplessly.

"I don't know," she sighed and wrapped her legs around him, causing her to feel his hard manliness against her.

That was what made them freeze and stare at each other.

It was so much, so fast. It was like they couldn't control their bodies.

Everything between them had always been like a battle, and every move was completely thought out. And all of a sudden it wasn't anymore. It was vulnerable; it was all feelings, and realness. An obsessive need had overcome the both of them. It had never been that way.

Ever.

Her eyes looked wide and afraid, and he was sure that his looked the same. They silently pulled away, seeming to understand that they had to cool off. Not here, where her parents were in the next room. Not yet. They needed to rethink for a bit.

Ben watched as she pulled up a strap that had drifted down her shoulder and not so subtly adjusted her slip over her chest. He nearly died.

"Please change your pyjamas, Viv. Just... please," he choked out.

Vivian nodded understandingly in a ceasefire, and got up.

"I should probably put on underwear too," she mumbled, half-heartedly using up her last grenade on him.

He still buried his face in the pillow to muffle his groan.

When she came back out, she was in a silk, long sleeved pair of pyjamas. Ben sighed in relief.

Vivian climbed back into bed, and they lay sideways facing each other. Ben tentatively reached a hand out to stroke her cheek. He grew fascinated when her eyes seemed to close at his touch.

"Tell me something Vivian," he whispered.

"Tell you what," she murmured almost peacefully, her eyes still closed.

"Tell me...about the day we first became friends," he said, and swallowed.

Vivian opened her eyes at that. "Benton," she said, seeming cautious.

He moved closer, holding her small hands in his larger ones.

"Please, I need to hear this," Ben urged.

Vivian looked at his eyes, which were so beautifully sincere. She couldn't deny him anything in this moment.

"That day was one of the worst. I had been planning to sleep with someone else that afternoon, just to completely lose myself to what I had become. I was...hopeless," she whispered, and a shiver ran up her spine as she remembered it.

As though Ben had taken notice, he ran his hand up and down her back comfortingly, warming her.

"Then you came up to me, and invited me over. You were everyone's favorite guy and a good person...and I thought that maybe I couldn't be so bad if _you_ wanted to hang out with me. Then that day became one of the best," she murmured, shrugging and looking down, picking at the sheets to hide her shyness.

He smiled at her, and when she noticed, her eyes looked softer than he'd ever seen them. Ben felt his heart race. He really did mean a lot to her.

They stayed up late, talking to each other about everything. Once the honesty started, it couldn't seem to end. Like little children they tented themselves under the comforter, like it could hide them and what they were confessing to each other from the rest of the world.

"Vivian, when you were gone I...was lost. I wasn't me without you," Ben had said quietly, stroking his thumbs against her hands.

Vivian's eyes widened at him telling her this, and she seemed to realize something too.

"Remember the time that I broke my arm, and I told you that I had injured it playing basketball?" Vivian asked.

Ben nodded, remembering coming home from a sailing trip with his father to find her wearing a cast.

"I was bored, and going insane without you around. So I stole my father's motorcycle and crashed it," she said, then pressed her lips together to hold in her laugh.

Ben laughed heartily however, and it caused her to burst into giggles. He grinned at the sound; it was so...feminine and unlike her usual controlled low chuckles. It was also one of the most beautiful things he had ever heard.

It became silent for a while, and Vivian shifted next to him, nudging her icy cold feet against his calve. On instinct, he trapped them between his legs to heat them. She tiredly rested her head in his neck, and they eventually fell asleep wrapped up in each other like that.

When they woke up a few hours later, their stomachs rumbled at the same time, a result of not having dinner the night before. They looked at each other and chuckled.

Vivian watched as Benton stood up and put his clothes on. His blonde hair was mussed from sleep, making him look so sexy to her.

"Leaving so soon?" She asked, in what she hoped was a casual drawl and not needy-sounding.

Ben stared at her for a moment, and then pulled her out of bed, dragging her out of the room and down the stairs.

"Archibald, what are you doing?" She said once they stumbled into the kitchen.

"Making breakfast," he replied opening up her cupboards and digging around to look for something.

"You can cook?" Vivian asked, smirking in amusement.

Ben pulled out the machine he was looking for and held it up.

"Waffles," he said with a grin.

Blair ventured downstairs into her kitchen. Chuck had already left for work, having an early morning meeting. When she reached the doorway to the kitchen, she froze at the sight that greeted her. Benton Archibald was mixing batter in a bowl, and her daughter was next to him...laughing, grinning up at him and clutching his arm affectionately as he did it. He handed her the spatula to lick off and watched her do it with a smirk. He reached his thumb up to wipe off the excess batter off her lips, lingering there for a moment.

They practically looked...domestic.

She cleared her throat and stepped into the kitchen, causing them to move apart in shock almost naturally. Blair almost felt guilty for breaking the moment.

"Ben, what brings you to our home this early?" Blair hummed as she went straight to the coffee machine.

Ben glanced at Vivian to figure out what they were going to say.

"Ben slept over last night. It was late, so I told him to crash at ours," Vivian explained casually.

Blair glanced at Vivian, then at Ben. He flashed his trademark smile, and she seemed to be charmed enough by it to silently accept their explanation and head to the dining table. Little did they know was that she saw right through it, but was amused enough to let them think otherwise.

After seeing the missed calls and worried texts from his mother at breakfast, Ben had left in a hurry. But he realized as he sat in the cab that he still didn't know what was going on between him and Vivian. All he knew was that she definitely thought that they were more than friends after last night. She might still be afraid of it, but it was there in her looks, touches and (_sigh_) kisses.

When he got home, his mother gave him an earful about how he had scared her out of her right mind, and his father had his arms crossed over his chest as he tried to work him out. But Ben just had a silly little dazed grin on his face, unable to stop thinking about Vivian. His parents probably thought he was high, and in a way he was.

After realizing her son was officially out of it, Jenny threw her hands up in the air and told him to get ready for the polo match that they were attending in the afternoon.

* * *

Vivian could have spotted him from a mile away.

God, he was so delicious.

There he sat, in a perfect grey suit next to his parents in their seats at the polo-match, looking so clean-cut and gentlemanly. Only she knew of the burning, passionate fire underneath. Only she knew what those politely smiling lips were capable of.

She smirked inwardly, and began to prowl over to him.

He sensed her before he even saw her. Ben knew that scent anywhere, and he could feel the shiver go down his spine from her stare.

Ben looked up at her and almost rolled his eyes. She was so ridiculous, in her bright yellow get-up, and with the parasol in her hand. What decade did she think they were in?

And somehow, although she was dressed the way a grandmother might, she looked so sexy, alluring and dangerous. The fact that she had the confidence to wear such an eccentric outfit just made her even more attractive to him.

"Hello Benton, Mr and Mrs Archibald. Are you enjoying the match?" She said charmingly.

"We sure are, Vivian," Nate said with a grin at his god-daughter. He opened his mouth to say more when a reporter approached them, requesting an interview. Nate graciously nodded and stood up to follow him, but not before grabbing his wife's hand to accompany him.

Vivian sat down in the seat next to him, and he almost wanted to follow his parents from the predatory look in her eyes. But he was a guy, and she was his sexual fantasy. He had been longing to see that fierce look directed at him for so long, and now that it was clearly there for him to view, he couldn't get enough of it.

"What do you say to a little fun, right now?" Vivian murmured.

He bit his lip to contain his grin. "Okay, where do you suggest?"

"How about right here?" She whispered, and drew the parasol lower to hide them from everyone's view.

"Right here?" He gulped, wondering what his father would think. They were at a public event, and he didn't want to embarrass him with a display.

"No one's looking Archibald. Nobody can see us," Vivian said huskily, her eyelashes lowering as she leaned in. It suddenly grew very hot underneath the parasol.

"Vivian," he groaned. She was going to lead him to his own end, he was sure of it.

"Just a taste...please," she said breathlessly, her eyes conveying a hidden longing that spoke to his own. There was no question after that, and he kissed her with the appetite of a starved person, as though he hadn't just been kissing her last night. She opened her mouth to him and moaned quietly.

"Vivian!" Chuck called out, causing them to break apart with a jerk, their lips making a smacking sound as they separated. They quickly cooled off, and Vivian lifted the parasol.

"Yes, the patterns on it are exquisite. Thank you for showing me them," Ben said loudly as Chuck approached them.

Vivian stared at him, impressed with his ability to recover quickly.

"Perhaps they'll inspire you for your artwork," Vivian replied, grinning at him.

"Ready to watch the match with me?" Chuck asked expectantly, holding out his arm for her.

"Of course, father. I'll see you later, Benton," Vivian replied with smirk, and stood up to clutch her father's arm, walking away with him.

Ben simply shook his head, marvelling at her.

From then on, there was a silent agreement between the two of them to keep their little dalliances a secret. Soon, they became heavily involved in supporting their mothers with preparing for their fashion show at the atelier, lending themselves over to help and spend time with them. This was when they were their most dangerous, sharing smooches from behind their mothers' backs and quickly pulling away when they turned around.

One day, Vivian was straddling him in her limo, and running her hands through his soft hair as she placed kisses along his jaw. She surprised herself with him, because with every other guy she had been so afraid. But with him...she only felt pleasure and yearning. He was holding off on anything further than that because he knew of her past fears about sex. But it had been going so perfectly, with no freeze-ups occurring in the middle of their intense kisses. However, there was one unanticipated thought that had been nagging her, which she hated.

It was an embarrassing nuisance, really.

"I want people to know," Vivian breathed out before she could stop herself.

"What?" Ben mumbled, still in a haze of lust and almost missing the words.

"Nothing," she said quickly, and tried to kiss him to distract him, but he stopped her.

"You want people to know? Which people?" He asked, and Vivian slid off him with a sigh.

It was silent for an awkward moment.

"Like, maybe our parents," she muttered, wanting to die right then and there. But she couldn't help it. He clearly hadn't had feelings for Samantha and she was still introduced as something more to Ben. She felt...God damn him, insecure.

"We can't do that _now_," Ben sputtered in shock and confusion.

"Why not?" Vivian snapped, feeling sick at his reaction and the fact that she wasn't able to hide how much it upset her.

"The fashion show is tomorrow night; it's the worst time ever to spring this on them. You know how our mothers get around this event," Ben reasoned.

"Really? It has _nothing _to do with what Mommy and Daddy might think of me?" Vivian scoffed.

"Don't be ridiculous," Ben said, rolling his eyes. It wasn't like that on any level. His parents loved her, especially his dad.

"I should have known. You'll always be about image," Vivian said coldly in her own defensiveness. He felt his heart tremor in outrage and hurt.

"Is that really what you think of me?" Ben asked quietly.

"Of course. Why else wouldn't you want them to know about us?" Vivian shot back.

"What exactly would we _say_ Vivian? You tell me," he shouted at her.

"What are you talking about?" she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"What are we? How do you _feel_ about me?" Ben cried, the mood shifting rapidly, like it always seemed to between them.

Vivian's eyes widened, and her mouth opened and closed.

"Say it," he whispered desperately, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

Her stomach plummeted as she realised what he wanted to hear. She didn't expect this, and now she could feel every bone in her body shaking at his words.

"I...I...," Vivian stuttered. Her throat felt thick, and she swallowed in the hopes that it would allow her to say the words that were so clearly in his eyes.

"You can't. Maybe it's because you don't," he said with a sad smile, and pulled away. She wanted to reach for him, and to say anything to make him stay. But she was paralysed by shock and fear, and before she knew it he had opened the door to the limo and left, leaving her alone and with an empty feeling inside.

* * *

Ben could tell that his father knew something was wrong with him. Maybe he didn't know that Vivian had completely shattered his heart once again, but he had a concerned look in his eyes as they sat down in their seats at the fashion show.

He spotted Vivian taking her seat next her own father as they waited for it to begin, and he felt a tight pain in his chest.

"You're brooding," Nate said.

Ben turned to look at him and blinked silently, his eyes brimming with sadness.

"What's wrong?" His father asked.

He didn't want to say it. It was so unmanly. It was everything his father had warned him about when it came to women like Vivian. Ben was saved by the music pounding as the show began, and they were both forced to look at the catwalk.

Vivian was even more of a mess. She had screwed up, big time. All he had wanted was for her to admit how she felt. She had told him everything else, and he was _Ben_. He was _the _guy. It was silly nerves that made her hold back, and the unexpected question. It came out of nowhere, and she had been feeling hurt, vulnerable and self-doubting by him not wanting their parents to know. But now when she stared at him, she knew it was true. It had always been true, and she missed her chance to prove it. How was she supposed to fix this?

She signalled to a passing by waiter to hand her another glass of champagne while her father was distracted by the clothes, drowning it quickly.

Eventually, the fashion show concluded. The models walked out onto the runway, followed by Blair and Jenny as the song "Mirrors" by Justin Timberlake played throughout the room.

Her mother was handed a microphone, and she began to recite her speech. Vivian looked over at Ben, and found him staring back at her. She glanced back up at the stage.

And maybe it was because of the amount of alcohol that she had just consumed, or because of the invigorating feeling that had suddenly consumed her from gazing into his eyes, but she found herself clambering up the steps to the stage, and taking the microphone off her mother.

"Hello everybody, I just want to say a few words!" Vivian cried loudly, as though she didn't have the microphone in her hand.

For a moment, Blair was in so much shock that her daughter had done this that she was frozen. She felt like she wasn't there but rather, looking down on the moment and dying of humiliation.

"My mother and Jenny are passionate about their clothes. It's a love story of sorts...or something. They have all these feelings and thoughts about fashion, and it turns them into crazy people. I mean, the stories I could tell you," Vivian rambled in her tipsy state, letting out a little chuckle.

"Thank you, sweetie, now why don't you rejoin your father," Blair muttered through clenched teeth, and tried to take the microphone off her daughter.

Vivian pulled it away, clenching onto it with a vice-like grip.

"No but, mother, its okay. Because you made something beautiful out of it. So congratulations," she mumbled with a lazy smirk.

Blair nodded in acceptance, but still tried to yank back the microphone. Vivian turned away from her however, and faced the audience.

"But see I'm different. Or maybe not so different. I'm crazy about one thing and one thing only. And that's Benton Archibald," Vivian declared.

She briefly registered the audible gasps of shock, before she searched Ben out in the crowd. When she caught his eyes, which were wide in astonishment, she grinned wildly.

"I love you, Ben," she said.

Nate looked at his son, and suddenly everything clicked. Ben's entire face brightened and he seemed to blink in awe as he stared up at the girl.

"I wanna...have your babies," Vivian slurred, the champagne talking for her. Nate glanced over to see Chuck choking on his drink, before looking back at his son. Ben seemed frozen in disbelief and happiness, so Nate did him a favor and pushed him.

"What are you waiting for? Get up there," he said with a grin.

Ben smiled back at him, and climbed up onto the stage.

When he reached Vivian, he gathered her in his arms and shook his head at her, sighing in wonder.

"You...are a lunatic, and I love you too," he said, then kissed her deeply.

The lights of the cameras flashed around them, and the song mingled with loud applause from the audience rumbled across the room, but they were oblivious to it all, lost in their own world of content.

Blair wanted to be furious with her daughter, she really did. But when Vivian pulled away and stared up at Ben, Blair was powerless. Vivian stared at Ben the way Chuck stared at Blair. It was the same radiance coming from her hazel eyes and the soft smile. So instead of murdering her daughter, she put her hands on her hips and turned to look at Jenny, giving her an exasperated smile.

Jenny mouthed to her "Of course," and shook her head, grinning.

Ben held Vivian's hands up, entwining their fingers as they leaned their foreheads against each other. His eyes melted as he smiled at her. He'd never felt so...happy. It was the greatest moment of his life, and suddenly he knew what he wanted to do. He grinned at Vivian boyishly, and pulled her off the stage.

They made a run for it, dodging everybody and somehow making it out of the building and into the open streets of New York. They kept running until they reached their little hidden spot in the park by the pond. It was then that they threw their arms around each other and kissed passionately, falling to the ground. It wasn't a bed, or a limo, or anything grand. But it was their special place. It belonged to _them._

"Make love to me," Vivian whispered against his mouth. He pulled back, searching her face to be sure. She gazed at him with heavy lidded eyes, and he saw what he needed.

They removed their clothes until they were just in their underwear, making a bed out of their clothes against the grass. Vivian reached for his briefs to pull them off, and he grabbed her hands to stop her.

She looked up at him questioningly, and noticed that he seemed nervous.

"I want to see you," she said huskily, stroking his thigh.

"I know, I just...I've never done this before," he drifted off, and gulped. He cursed himself. Now was not the time to be embarrassed. But it was his first time, and no woman had ever seen that part below.

"Neither have I," Vivian said with a lopsided smile, running her hand through his hair.

He still couldn't help but feel worried, like he wouldn't be adequate enough for her.

Vivian seemed to sense his struggle, and pulled back a little, kneeling up and sitting on her ankles. He stared at her as she reached behind her back and unclipped her bra, letting it fall away.

Ben let out a deep, shuddering breath as he gazed at her. She was glowing in the moonlight, and her naked state made her look like a nymph, or some other magical creature. Those wondrous globes just sat there on her chest, looking at him.

Surely she had been sent from God.

"Now, let me see you," Vivian said insistently, shivering excitedly at the mixture of the cool air against her breasts, and his hungry look.

"Whatever you say Vivian," he murmured to her chest.

She grinned and pulled his boxers down. When she saw him, her amused look disappeared as her eyes drank in the sight.

Ben gulped again, but then he realized that she was staring at it like it was the most dazzling thing she had ever seen, and he immediately smirked.

From then on, he took control. She trembled as he came over her, his navy eyes glittering in desire, the same way that the dark blue pond had been doing. But these eyes didn't make her feel scared, and instead she felt bolder than ever, like she was made for this. Ben was gentle and unassuming, yet every kiss and touch conveyed his obsession with her.

His hands traced and cupped every inch of her, and somehow, even in his lack of experience, he was rewarded with loud cries from the brunette. The feeling he got when their sweaty bodies finally began to rock together was euphoric.

When it was over, they held each other tightly, spasms jolting through their bodies with aftershocks of their first real orgasms.

"I didn't think it would be like that," Vivian managed to say breathlessly into his chest, feeling so full of love that it hurt. There had been no darkness in the entire moment, only his tender care for her. The amount of warmth she experienced couldn't have possibly been real. She felt so at peace that she was sure she was dreaming. Tears dripped down her cheeks helplessly.

"Why are you crying?" Ben asked in concern when he noticed.

"I'm happy," she whispered.

He smiled down at her, cuddling her closer and kissing her forehead.

* * *

Later, he walked her up to her doorstep like a boyfriend would, and she swung their entwined hands as they walked like a girlfriend would. Before she could open the door to enter, he pulled her in for another sweet kiss. She sighed happily when they pulled apart, her eyes glowing up at him.

An optimism rose within him, and he went for it.

"Let me take you to your cotillion," Ben said, but there was a slight tone of hope in his voice.

The smile in her eyes traveled to her lips, which widened into a full on beam in response.

_"Woah," _he thought. He hadn't ever seen such a smile. The sexy smirk now had competition.

* * *

Vivian had been lying on her bed alone with a grin on her face for quite a while before her father and mother returned from the fashion show. Her father stomped straight up the stairs to her bedroom to give her a big speech, forbidding her from men, his first words being: "No more limo."

But eventually her father had eased off, and even grew to be thankful for Ben.

Ben had convinced her to tell her father everything she knew and felt about him, and had been there to hold her hand as she awaited Chuck's reaction.

"Is that really how you feel?" Chuck had asked, his face falling.

Vivian had nodded tearfully.

"Vivian, I'm sorry," he choked out, and pulled her to him, embracing her tightly. She started to cry almost instantly.

He pulled back and wiped the tears from her face.

"I love you. Every time I look at you, I see everything that went right in my life reflecting back at me. Sometimes I just get sad at the fact that the people who should have been able to see it never did," he whispered to her honestly.

Vivian's eyes widened in wonder at her his words. She had never felt so close to her father as she had then.

"You make me impossibly happy Vivian Bass. Promise me that you'll never doubt that again," he said firmly.

Vivian felt like she could breathe again.

* * *

They were together, after that.

_Really_ together.

They attended every event as a couple, and looking incredible doing so. It was so...natural and easy, because they already knew everything about each other. There was no first-date awkwardness, and they did things simply because they both wanted to. Ben never felt like he was waiting to escape from her, but rather dreaded the moment when they would have to part. He also revived his old look, because Vivian loved it just as much as he did.

And the sex.

It was incredible. It was like their sexualities were perfectly matched for each other, and their bodies fit flawlessly. Sometimes they would give and take what each of them liked in particular, but the pleasure they got was always the same. Vivian seemed to enjoy experimenting, trying things like smoking joints while engaging in the act, passing the smoke from mouth to mouth erotically. The image of him moving above her with the stick in his mouth and a focused expression on his face just did things to her.

Sometimes it was more intimate, especially when Ben asked to draw her nude. His eyes would run all over her body as he worked, and the moment would quickly become heated, their stares darkening in anticipation of the mind-blowing sex that was to follow.

They were restricted to only being able to make love in Ben's town car, in their secret place in the park, or in their homes by some lucky chance of their parents not being home. They soon learned that trying not to get caught was part of the appeal. The most heart stopping moment was when Dorota had walked in on them in the pantry. She had sworn at Ben in Polish and hit him several times. Vivian had to work extra hard to keep Dorota tight-lipped about that one.

* * *

One night, during senior year, Ben had been over Vivian's house while her parents had gone away for the weekend. They were in the bathtub, lazily washing each other.

"What are we going to do when we grow up?" Ben asked Vivian at one point, wrapping his arms around her waist under the water.

"We're going to create sky scrapers," Vivian replied casually, leaning her back against his chest.

"Is that so?" Ben said, and kissed the back of her neck affectionately.

"Mmhm. You'll do the designing, I'll do the business part," she said, as though she had already given this much thought. That notion excited him, like she believed that they would always be together. He closed his eyes, and leaned his forehead against the back of her head, exhaling heavily. The idea sounded so perfect to him.

Afterwards, they had climbed out of the bath to do one of their favorite sexual activities. Just like when they were born, they competed to see who would arrive first. As usual, they peaked at the same time, their eyes wide as they tried to regain their breathing.

"I could keep doing this," Ben gasped out.

"I like the way you think, Archibald," Vivian murmured with a smirk, and slithered her body up so her head was next to his, rather than level with his hips. She didn't bother covering herself, finding that she quite liked the feeling of being naked in front of Ben.

"Not just that," Ben said with a chuckle, cupping her bottom to bring her closer to him.

Vivian stared up at him questioningly, and he stroked her chin lightly as he spoke.

"I mean, I could be with you forever," he whispered.

She smiled at him. "So could I," she whispered back.

He stared at her for a minute, looking to be thinking. Ben's first memory of Vivian had been that she was his match. He had never felt such fiery dislike for another person. Ben remembered the sixth grade, when she had appeared to him like a wounded bird, and something in him had always considered her his to look after. It was through his need to care for her that he discovered a partner in crime in her, and a soul-mate. She had challenged him to be something more for her, something greater than king of St. Jude's. Somewhere along the line, he discovered that he had to grow in order for her to be able to grow, and vice-versa. They were so inherently connected that it scared him sometimes, especially when he knew how much it could tear him apart if he ever lost her. He couldn't allow that to happen.

"What is it?" Vivian asked at the strange look on his face.

"Marry me," he said lowly.

"Wh-at?" Vivian said with a laugh.

"Marry me," he repeated.

"Shut up," she said, pushing him off her and laughing.

He grinned back at her, but then looked deeply into her eyes. "I'm serious; I want you to be my wife."

That was the moment when she realized he wasn't joking. "We can't get _married._"

"Why not?"

"Because...we're in high school for starters," she spluttered.

"We turn 18 in a matter of weeks. We graduate in only a few months," Ben insisted.

"That doesn't mean we should get married," Vivian argued in bewilderment, starting to sit up. He moved quickly with her, and cradled her head in his hands.

"You just said you could be with me forever, and I want to start now. I want to be able to protect you, and for you to feel safe and happy, always. I want you to be mine," he urged, his voice getting quieter in reverence.

Her eyes went starry for a moment, before she seemed to realize that he was reeling her in, and pulled back slightly.

"We'd drive each other insane," Vivian said, shaking her head.

"I haven't felt sane for a long time," Ben confessed. "I'd chase you to the ends of this earth, Bass."

"I know you would," she said, biting her lip as she took his words in.

It was silent for a moment while she thought about it.

"You _do _enjoy being daring," Vivian said with a smile, because she was convinced.

"And you are secretly a romantic," Ben replied back to her.

"Only for you," she whispered seriously, and leaned her forehead against his.

"So Vivian Bass, marry me," Ben asked one more time.

"Okay," she breathed out with a melting smile, and kissed him. She repeated it over and over again between kisses, and he could feel her heart racing against his chest when they pressed their bodies together tightly.

* * *

On Sunday night, Chuck and Blair returned home from their Tuscany trip to find Nate and Jenny in their living room, accompanied by Vivian and Ben.

"Nathaniel, Jennifer. What brings you here?" Chuck asked, unbuttoning his jacket and sitting on one of the couches. Blair sat down next to him.

"Well, apparently our kids have something to tell us," Nate said, turning to study Vivian and Ben, trying to read them from his seat next to Jenny.

Their hands were entwined as they stared at their parents nervously from the couch they were sharing. They had planned to tell them together, figuring that they worked better as a unit. But for two people who had a history of being great at manipulation, they did not look cool, calm and collected. They clearly had a secret and they weren't doing a very good job of trying to hide it.

Chuck took in how pale his daughter looked, and his heart dropped.

"You're not pregnant, are you?" Chuck blurted out, looking as though he was seconds from having a heart attack.

"No! God, Dad. _Relax_," Vivian cried, and Ben immediately wrapped his arm around her and kissed the side of her head comfortingly. Blair stared at them as he did this, completely surprised by the action. Ben was...defensive of their daughter, and _soothing, _judging by the way her daughter seemed to relax at his touch. Blair had always known that Ben and Vivian had a close bond, but this was something else entirely. Something well beyond their years.

Ben could tell that Vivian was scared out of her mind, so he took charge.

"Mr. Bass...well, _all_ of you actually," Ben began, and stared around at the adults. "We'd like your permission to get married."

It was silent for a moment.

Then, all four of them burst out laughing. Hooting with laughter, tears in their eyes.

Ben and Vivian just stared at their parents, sighing and waiting for them.

Jenny seemed to sober up first, and she realized from the unamused looks that the two teenagers were giving them that they were serious.

"Oh my God, you're not kidding!" she squeaked, and that seemed to shut the others up.

"Wait a second, daughter of mine. Are you sure you're not pregnant?" Blair asked, fixing her with an Eleanor Waldorf glare. She would of course be there for Vivian if she was, but it was important to let her daughter know the gravity of being pregnant at a young age in case she decided to test it out some day. Blair had plenty of pregnancy drama to last a life time.

"No, mother," Vivian murmured, and then looked up at Ben, who grinned down at her. "Just in love," she said quietly, smiling at Ben.

It made Blair speechless for a moment as she watched them. She always knew her daughter would fall in real love some day. But she didn't expect it to happen so soon, and with Ben. Actually, she couldn't think of anyone that made more sense now that she thought about it. He seemed to be the only person she had ever respected.

"Ben, please explain yourself," Jenny said tiredly. Nate just leaned back, rubbing his chin and contemplating his son curiously.

"I need to be with her," Ben said simply.

"You already are! Look, sweetie, I understand what it's like to be crazy in love, and wanting to be bold about it. But, I'm sure if you wait until after college maybe-"

"No, you don't understand. I _need_ to be with her now. I'm as ready as I'll ever be. We could easily elope once we turn 18, but we love you and want to share this with you," Ben said firmly, sitting up straight and looking at both of his parents with a serious, mature expression.

"Over my dead body you would elope," Chuck finally spoke, narrowing his eyes at Ben. Vivian was _his_. This was preposterous, and Chuck still wasn't completely sure that they weren't kidding.

"I agree, and you're far too young for this Ben. You have your whole future ahead of you!" Jenny exclaimed, and opened her mouth to continue, but was stopped by her husband placing his hand on hers gently.

"Okay," Nate said quietly.

"_What?_" Jenny and Chuck yelled at the same time.

"Okay, Ben. You have my permission," Nate said to his son, ignoring Jenny and Chuck.

Ben stared at his father in shock, which quickly turned into gratitude as he caught the sincerity in his father's gaze.

"Nate, you're kidding right? _Right?"_ Jenny said hysterically, clutching her husband's arm with wide eyes.

"He said it himself; he's as ready as he'll ever be. My son is a man. Granted, I thought he would at least be graduated when he became one, but I see that he has already grown up faster than I ever did," Nate said, staring at his son with pride in his eyes and a grin on his lips. Ben grinned back and stood up to shake hands with his father. Nate stood to meet him, and turned it into a hug.

Ben had gone his whole life feeling like he wouldn't measure up to the man. But now he felt differently, like somehow he had always had it in him.

"Nate, do you hear yourself? This is reckless, this is _crazy,_" Jenny cried.

Nate sat down and took his wife's hands in his, smiling at her softly. "This is _you_, Jen. You know it is."

Jenny looked into her husband's eyes and sighed, because he was right, and he was giving her that look that made her believe his every word. She trusted him, and it wasn't like him to just agree about something unless he felt strongly about it anymore. Tears filled her eyes, and she stood up to hug her son.

"You're still my baby, I don't care," she murmured into his shoulder, but even then it didn't feel like the full truth. Her baby was now a full head taller than her, and he wanted to get married. She pulled back and smiled at him, showing him everything that she couldn't put into words.

"You've both lost your minds, clearly. We will not agree to this," Chuck said firmly, and turned to look at his wife to seek her approval. However, Blair looked thoughtful as she stared at her daughter, trying to read her. "Blair?"

"Why, Vivian?" Blair whispered instead of replying, and Chuck held his wife's hand because he sensed impending tears.

"Mom, please don't cry," Vivian said, rushing forward to kneel at her feet. She had sensed it too.

"I'm not...I just want to know why," Blair said, blinking rapidly and taking a deep breath to hold back her tears.

"If you could have married Dad at my age, would you have?" Vivian asked, staring up at her mother with a little smile.

Blair stared at her daughter, but didn't answer. They understood each other without saying anything, and Blair smiled back at her and kissed her daughter on the forehead.

Chuck realized that Blair had given her permission, and he pulled back from the both of them.

"No! Blair, _no,_" Chuck shouted. He couldn't believe this.

"Chuck," Blair said softly, looking at him beseechingly.

"Oh my God, you're letting this _happen_? How can you do this?" Chuck exclaimed, standing up and running his hands through his hair. Blair bit her lip, trying not to smile at her alarmed husband.

He caught it and he grew even more angry. "This will _not_ be happening. Good luck trying!"

"Chuck, come on buddy," Nate said, looking at his best friend with a grin. "Now we'll _really_ be family."

But Chuck didn't soften, and instead looked up to the ceiling miserably. "Why are you doing this to me? Is it because I took Blair from Nate? Now you're letting his son take my daughter?"

"Chuck!"

"Dad!"

"Well, then what? Why is this happening?" Chuck shouted, looking only at Vivian. She was supposed to be him, and for once he didn't get her. He couldn't understand any of it.

"Because of the butterflies," Vivian said quietly, standing up and staring back her father.

Chuck froze, and his shoulders that had been filled with tension dropped. The angry look melted off his face as he looked at the ground, then back up at his daughter in wonder.

"Seriously?" Chuck said hoarsely after a long moment of silence.

Vivian swallowed nervously as she spoke. "Oh yeah. I've got them bad," she said shakily.

Chuck walked up to his daughter and hugged her tightly. Blair watched them with a teary look in her eyes, covering her mouth with her hand. Nobody understood what was going on, except the Basses. Not unusual.

* * *

A few months later, Henry sat drinking at a table with his little sister and her husband at dinner.

The little brat had beaten him to the altar.

But at least he got to say "I told you so" about them getting married. This time, they couldn't deflect the comment.

"So, what are you guys doing for college?" Henry had asked them after they accepted defeat and grossly made out in front of him.

"I don't know; think you can handle college with me, Archibald?" Vivian asked with a smirk.

Something about the way her hazel eyes lit up cheekily made Ben think that it was going to be fun.

_Really _fun, actually.

* * *

**AHHHH so nervous about your opinions.**

**Thank you to Liz for reading over this and giving me the confidence to post it! If any of you have been won over by NJ, you NEED to read Clair de Lune!**

**Would love a long review either way, because I've been working on this for weeks!**

**I think I'll try Jackgina's son and Vanessa's daughter next. EEEK.**


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